A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl
by chiigusa
Summary: Story is complete with Chapter 12! Selphie and Seifer get paired for a mission. Romance, drama, angst, not for Rinoa fans. SquallSelphieSeifer love triangle.
1. The Mission

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl  
  
Author: Stephanie aka SakuSelphie17  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII characters; they are all property of Squaresoft and such.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Selphie and Seifer get paired up together for a mission. Seifer begins to care for her as they get into danger, but has trouble winning her heart since she has a long-standing crush on Squall. Will the two end up together? Will Selphie begin to care for Seifer as she realizes his feelings? How will Squall react?  
  
Mostly Selphie/Seifer but has a bit of Selphie/Squall.  
  
Chapter 1: The Mission  
  
The sun shone brightly through the window of the young SeeD's room. Her eyes fluttered open and the sun seemed to make the emerald color of her eyes even more vibrant than it already was. She let out a long yawn as she pushed herself up into a sitting position and untangled her legs from the bed sheets. She stumbled across the floor and into her bathroom. She took a quick shower and dried herself off. She took a glance at the small clock that was on her bathroom sink. She wanted to beat the early morning rush in the cafeteria. She quickly dried her hair and curled her hair into her trademark flipped out style. She put on a dab of eyeliner and mascara, and quickly pulled on her undergarments and her short yellow dress, zipping it up. She entered her room, sitting on the edge of her bed, and pulled on her worn out boots. She knew that she should probably get knew ones, but she just couldn't bear to part with them. They had been with her almost the whole time she was at her Gardens. They were pretty much her good luck charm now. She stood back up again and opened her door. Selphie was ready for the day and to take on anything. Well, almost anything...  
  
Selphie entered the cafeteria to see Zell sitting at a table stuffing his face with hot dogs. She shook her head, giggling to herself as she got a bowl of her favorite cereal and orange juice. She carried it over to his table. "Zell, you do realize that it's eight-thirty in the morning and you're eating hot dogs?"  
  
Zell shrugged as he only ate more. He swallowed his current bite, "They taste better in the morning...I think it's 'cause they're fresher, or something."  
  
He took a larger bite, and then his eyes suddenly widened as he saw his least favorite person enter the room. His mouth dropped open as Seifer walked over to their table. Selphie took a sip of her orange juice and looked up at Seifer with her usual cheery smile, "Morning, Seifer."  
  
He looked down at her, almost amused that she had addressed him, "Well, if it isn't my little messenger girl." He then looked at Zell, who still had some of his food hanging out of his mouth, "Oh, that's attractive, chicken- wuss."  
  
He laughed and sat down at the their table, propping his feet up on it, some of his shoelace getting into Selphie's cereal bowl. She tried desperately to push his feet off, "Hey! Feet do not belong on the table when we're eating, Seifer!"  
  
He laughed at her attempt, "Fine, fine. I'll just leave you two alone, then." He removed his feet and stood back up, sending Zell a wink. He then took a sip of Selphie's orange juice and patted her on the head. She looked up at him, clenching her jaws together. Selphie looked annoyed, which was a definite rarity for her, "Thanks, babe... We'll keep in touch."  
  
He walked out of the cafeteria and Selphie leaned back in her chair with an exasperated sigh, "He drives me crazy!"  
  
Zell was finally able to finish chewing his food, and he swallowed, "He drives everyone crazy..." He then looked toward the entrance again to see Squall and Rinoa entering together, "Oh, hey...look who's here."  
  
Selphie turned her head and saw them. She waved them over, although she was not in the mood to be seeing the two acting couply. Over the time that they had all spent together, she had developed a small crush on Squall. And well, who wouldn't? He was always looking out for her and protecting her when things were looking grim. What girl wouldn't fall for someone like him?  
  
"Oh, sorry, Selph...I forgot," Zell said, since he knew about the girl's crush on Squall.  
  
She smiled to her friend, "Don't worry about it."  
  
The couple walked over to Zell and Selphie. Rinoa was holding onto Squall's hand, and she noticed Selphie's already annoyed appearance, "Hi, Selphie. Is something the matter?"  
  
The female SeeD shook her head, "No...we just had our daily morning visit from the Seifer monster." Rinoa let out a light laugh, while Squall looked away from them, crossing his arms.  
  
Selphie drank the rest of her juice and Zell finished his meal, standing up, "I gotta get to class so Quistis doesn't kick my ass. She's already got me for two tardies, and if I get another one, I have detention with Seifer," he let out a groan.  
  
Selphie giggled, "Then, get to class."  
  
He nodded and as he was leaving, Squall uncrossed his arms, "Wait, Zell..."  
  
"Squall! Not now, I gotta go, man!" Zell said, almost running in place.  
  
"...I just wanted to say that everyone needs to meet me at the directory after lunch. We need to go over a few things for the latest mission," he said.  
  
"Yes, sir, Commander Leonhart!" said Zell as he ran out of the cafeteria to his destination. Squall looked away from him, mumbling something.  
  
Selphie stood up, folding her hand behind her and tilted her head, looking at Squall, "Is the mission really serious?"  
  
Squall crossed his arms again; "...I'll let everyone know the details after lunch. Or Quistis will."  
  
She nodded and carried her trash to the trashcan and placed her tray on top of it. "Well, I should go work on the banners for the festival," Selphie said to Squall and Rinoa, "If you guys want to come help then feel free! I need all the help I can get!" She waved to them cheerily as she exited the cafeteria.  
  
*~*  
  
Exactly on the dot after they had finished eating their lunch, an announcement rang throughout the Garden. It was Quistis' voice, "Squall Leonhart, Seifer Almasy, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt, please report to the directory now!"  
  
Selphie skipped down the hallway and stopped in the middle to see the others already there. Zell was 'swatting flies', Seifer was leaned against one wall, and Quistis stood beside an unhappy looking Squall, holding a clipboard. Selphie checked the back of her shoes as she normally did before a big mission. She couldn't have her favorite boots falling apart on her. She then looked at Quistis and Squall, folding her hands behind her as she patiently awaited the orders.  
  
Quistis spoke up first, holding the clipboard to her chest, "As you all know, the Galbadian forces have regrouped against us after their long standing alliance with us. Your mission is to go to various cities to keep the Galbadian soldiers from attacking the innocent people of the towns and to prevent them from taking over the towns. Each of you will be assigned with one other person. I will announce the group assignments now." She looked at her clipboard, "Commander Leonhart...you will be paired with Zell Dincht." He nodded and Zell paused, looking at Squall, then continued to punch at the air. Selphie looked around nervously, if she wasn't with Zell or Squall...then who was she with? There was only one other person here... Quistis spoke up again, "Seifer Almasy, you will be paired with Selphie Tilmitt."  
  
Selphie's eyes grew wide and Seifer stood up, walking over to her. Quistis sent her an apologetic look, and Selphie sighed, nodding. Seifer draped a lazy arm around her small shoulders, "Oh, this should be a blast," he leered down at her. She looked at the floor, covering her face with her hands.  
  
Zell walked over to them, looking sadly at Selphie, then up to meet Seifer in the eye, "If you get her hurt, I will personally come and kill you."  
  
Seifer just laughed, pulling Selphie closer to him. She let out another sigh, "Let's just go..." She looked at Quistis, "Wait...where are we going?"  
  
Quistis let out a small chuckle, "Oh, yes. That would probably help. You and Seifer are to go to Winhill." She turned to Squall, "You and Zell are to go to Deling City." Squall crossed his arms and nodded.  
  
Selphie seemed a little more enthusiastic when she heard of where she was going, "Oh! Winhill! That's the place that Sir Laguna was at!" She then frowned, "Galbadians are trying to take it over?" Quistis nodded. "Oh no...that's horrible! Then, we definitely have to help save it!"  
  
Quistis walked to Selphie and Seifer and handed them two train tickets, "These should get you there." Seifer took them and turned Selphie around as he pulled her along and the two walked out of the Garden.  
  
"I hope those two are okay," said Zell, worriedly.  
  
"I'm sure they will be. They can handle battles very well," said Quistis, clutching the clipboard to her chest again.  
  
"No, I don't mean in battle... I just hope they don't end up killing each other."  
  
Quistis chuckled and handled Squall and Zell their tickets. "Get going, you two. No time to lose."  
  
To be continued....  
  
So, how did you like the first chapter? Please R&R! I'm working on the second one right now, and since I'm super busy it may be a couple weeks before I update it, so please be patient! I hope you all like it thought! Thanks! ^_^ 


	2. Puddles of Sarcasm

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl  
  
Chapter 2: Puddles of Sarcasm  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the FFVIII Characters, etc.  
  
Enjoy the second installment of this story!  
  
The train door opened and Selphie rushed on board. Seifer walked in a little while after her to see her standing by another closed door.  
  
"Open!" she yelled at it. Seifer raised an annoyed, yet curious eyebrow at her. She turned around and looked at him, "You don't know the drill do you?"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.  
  
"You put the ticket into the computer there, and then... Presto! The door opens!" she bounced on her heels, "...Pleeeease?"  
  
He rolled his eyes, "If I do it, will you shut up?" She nodded happily. He let out an annoyed sigh and put the ticket into the computer.  
  
A minute later the door opened. Selphie punched her fist into the air, "Whoo-hoo! Thanks, Seifer!" She ran into the next room and took her usual spot looking out the window as the land passed.  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes, then said to his self, "How can she get so damn excited over something so stupid?" He shook his head, and then walked into the room after her.  
  
She was looking eagerly out the window humming to herself as he stood beside her. "Isn't this great?" she asked, noticing he was there.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. He was going to insult her in some way, but didn't want to travel with an angry Selphie, so he thought he'd humor her instead, "Uh, yeah...sure." He then turned and entered the special room for SeeDs. He plopped down on the sofa and leaned back, closing his eyes. He could already tell this was going to be a long trip.  
  
A few minutes later Selphie entered the room and sat beside him on the couch bouncing up and down happily. "Jeezus, will you just relax!" he said, opening an eye. "You're shaking the whole freakin' train." She stuck her tongue out at him, and then turned around to kneel on the sofa, looking out the window behind Seifer. He leaned up slightly and felt himself compelled to look at her backside. He scanned her up and down, actually noticing how short that dress of hers really was. He raised an amused eyebrow, and laughed to himself.  
  
She turned her head and looked over at him, "What's so funny?"  
  
He shook his head, "Oh, nothing, little messenger girl."  
  
She sighed and stuck her tongue out at him once more, which only caused him to laugh more.  
  
*~*  
  
After a few hours, an announcement rang out through the train. "We will be arriving just outside the town of Winhill in a few moments. Those getting off, please prepare for departure."  
  
Selphie jumped up from the couch, "Whoo-hoo!"  
  
"Yeah, it's about damn time." Seifer said, "Another hour with you on this train and I would have used the bed sheets over there to hang myself."  
  
Selphie's mouth dropped open and was about to say something in response, but instead, she sighed, deciding it was best not to encourage more insulting. They felt the train come to a rickety stop. She skipped out of the room, down the hallway and out of the train. He watched her excitedly run out and he smirked to himself, following after her.  
  
He stepped off the train to see her standing there with her hands on her hips waiting for him. "You're such a slow poke!" she said to him.  
  
He rolled his eyes; ignoring her comment, "Let's just get this over with."  
  
She nodded, getting out her nunchakus that were clipped to one of the belt loops on her dress. He already had his gunblade swung over his shoulder. Together, they walked into the quiet town of Winhill. But, it wasn't so quiet anymore.  
  
Selphie let out a gasp as she saw bodies of the townspeople strewn about across the streets and the proud Galbadian soldiers standing over them. She furrowed her eyebrows. Not only were there soldiers everywhere, the monster population seemed to have gotten out of control. How could they do this to such a quiet town?  
  
Seifer looked down at Selphie, who didn't seem as happy-go-lucky as she usually did. She seemed deeply troubled by this sight, "Come on, messenger girl. There's no use getting upset over this. It's not your fault." She looked up at him sadly and nodded, though a little confused as to why Seifer was trying to comfort her.  
  
As soon as they took a few steps into the town, the soldiers spotted them. "Are you ready for this?" Seifer asked, quietly.  
  
"Yes, I totally am!" she replied to him firmly. Selphie and Seifer got into their battle stances as the soldiers and numerous monsters attacked them. *~* Selphie wiped the perspiration that had collected on her forehead during the many hours of battle the two had just endured. "Phew...I'm exhausted!"  
  
Seifer looked around, unimpressed. "That's all? Well, I thought they would've been tougher. Especially with all that training I gave 'em. Eh, I guess people just don't listen to my wonderful techniques. That's too bad..."  
  
Selphie looked up at Seifer, tiredly, "Let's just go get a room at the hotel. I need to lay down or eat something."  
  
Seifer shrugged his shoulders; "I hope you brought some money with you..."  
  
She rolled her eyes and dug into her back pocket, taking out some of the gil she had brought with her just in case. "Don't worry. I have some!" They walked down the street, Selphie slightly lagging behind, to the hotel. They entered the building and approached the desk. "Two rooms please!" Selphie said to the receptionist.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry...we only have one room available...and there is only one bed in the room. Is that okay for the two of you?"  
  
Selphie put her hand to her forehead, glancing back at Seifer. He grinned down at her wolfishly. She sighed, "That's fine...I'll deal." The woman handed her the key to the room and she headed upstairs, Seifer right behind her.  
  
She opened the door and skipped in, plopping down on the bed. "Wow! This bed is so comfortable and this room is so nice!"  
  
Seifer closed the door behind him, walking over to Selphie and looking down at her. "Yeah, this room is pretty nice. Especially for such a shitty town like this."  
  
Selphie sat up and looked upwards at him, "Hey, this town is pretty and nice and stuff!"  
  
He laughed, "And stuff? Did you think up that one all on your own?"  
  
She clenched her fists together, looking up at him angrily, "Seifer! Do you always have to be *so* mean to me?!"  
  
Seifer looked away from her, ignoring her question, "So, how are we gonna get some food in this place?"  
  
She sighed, lying back on the bed, "I don't know...order room service?"  
  
He looked down at her, "Wow, good job, messenger girl. You actually have a good idea."  
  
Selphie rolled her eyes again, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Seifer."  
  
"Ooh, watch it, messenger girl, you're starting to sound like Squall," he said, sarcastically, although she didn't take it as an insult.  
  
Selphie giggled to herself, "I guess I've just been hanging around with him a lot. He's starting to reflect on me...I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "It's probably a bad thing. You don't want to turn into puberty boy. Then, I'd have to call you 'puberty girl'."  
  
She sat up, "Don't call him that!"  
  
"Whoa...I struck a nerve, huh?"  
  
"Just be quiet, you-you...mean guy!" she said, standing up with her hands on her hips.  
  
Seifer looked her up and down, laughing. "I can see you're very protective of Mr. Puberty."  
  
"N-no! It's not that...he's just my friend. I don't want to hear you talking bad about my friends."  
  
"Sure, Selphie. Everyone knows you have a mad crush on him," he said casually, sitting on the bed.  
  
She turned around, throwing her arms down angrily, but also blushing. "You...you don't know that!"  
  
He smirked, "The fact that you're blushing just proves my point."  
  
She sighed, feeling exasperated by this point. She really just wanted to lie down and take a nap. But, of course, Seifer had to make that as inconvenient as possible. He reached up, grabbing her arm, and pulled her down to sit next to him. "You can't lie to me. You're horrible at it," he said to her.  
  
She pulled her arm away from his grasp and looked out towards the window. "Why would you care if I liked him, anyway?" she asked, after a beat.  
  
"Eh, no reason...I just hear stuff from people," Seifer replied.  
  
She glanced at him, "Oh...I see."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "So do you or don't you?"  
  
Selphie sighed, lying backwards, "Yeah, I do..."  
  
He looked down at her, "Then, why don't you do something about it? Squall's a dumbass. You can't just expect him to notice that you like him."  
  
She closed her eyes, "I can't tell him... I like him too much as a friend to risk anything."  
  
He smirked, "Yeah, right. I can tell that's not it."  
  
She reached up and put her hands on her forehead, pushing her bangs up, "Okay, fine. It's because of Rinny. I don't want to break them up."  
  
He leaned back, "Her? You're worried about that bitch of his?" He laughed, "Hyne, he would be happy to get rid of her and have you instead."  
  
She shook her head, "No, they're good together. I wouldn't want to split them up..."  
  
"Shut up, Selphie. You know Squall is a dumbass. You just can't say it 'cause he's your 'friend'," he motioned the last word with his fingers.  
  
"Well, he is my friend!" She said, putting her arms back down.  
  
"Messenger girl, he treats you like shit. I don't even see why you like him..." he shook his head, looking away from her.  
  
"I don't know...I-I just do!" Selphie sighed, "A-and I don't see why you even care, so... so there!"  
  
He looked down at her and laughed for a moment. He noticed how tired she looked, "Fine, fine. I'll let you rest. I... just don't want to see you get hurt," he said the last part quietly.  
  
She opened her eyes immediately and sat up, meeting his eyes with her own that were full of confusion, "You don't?"  
  
He flinched slightly, looking down for a moment, and then meeting her sparkling green eyes, "Well, uh...I just mean...your extreme happiness about everything seems to keep almost everyone in a good mood. I don't know what the hell would happen to everyone if you were depressed about something."  
  
She smiled happily at him, bouncing slightly on the bed.  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her curiously, "What now?"  
  
She continued to smile at him, "You were nice! You said something nice to me! Well, sort of nice... A-and it was just cool. I should record this moment in history!"  
  
He looked away from her and stood up, "I'm going to get food. Just be quiet and go to sleep or something."  
  
Selphie stuck out her bottom lip in a pout as Seifer got up and walked to the window. She sighed and lied back down onto the bed, facing the other direction. She sighed softly, closing her eyes as she felt herself becoming sleepy. He turned around and looked at her. He felt his own stomach growling, and he groaned, leaving the room to find some food.  
  
*~*  
  
The aroma of hot dogs filled Selphie's nose, and she awoke. She rolled over and saw Seifer sitting in a chair stuffing his face with hot dogs. She sat up and looked at Seifer, who didn't seem to notice that she was awake. "I hope you're going to save me at least one of those."  
  
He glanced at her, "I probably should since I used your money to pay for all of this."  
  
Her mouth dropped open, and she walked over to him, hands on her hips. "Seifer...!" She groaned, and then snatched one of his hot dogs, gobbling it down.  
  
He laughed at her, "Jeez, messenger girl, you eat like a guy."  
  
She ignored his comment and continued to eat happily, looking out the window.  
  
A couple more hours passed... It was now dark outside as Selphie looked out the window. It was probably quite late by now. She turned to look at Seifer who was looking through a weapons magazine that had been on the nightstand. "So, who's going to sleep where for the night?"  
  
Seifer looked up from the magazine, taking off his coat. He then patted the bed beside him, wiggling his eyebrows at her.  
  
She looked appalled and yelled, "I'm not sharing a bed with you!"  
  
He sighed, shaking his head, "That's too bad. I guess you'll just be sleeping on the floor."  
  
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened, "You're going to make me, a cute little girl, sleep on the cold, uncomfortable floor!?"  
  
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do." He picked up the extra pillow and pulled off the comforter, throwing it into a heap on the floor at her feet. She looked at him, feeling defeated, and sighed loudly. She mumbled something he couldn't understand as she carefully made herself a small bed with the comforter and pillow on the floor. He watched her, lying down on his side, pulling the less heavy blanket over him. She lied on her back, looking up at the bare ceiling. After a while of shifting herself on the hard floor, her eyelids fell heavily, and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Seifer could not sleep, though. A few quiet sighs escaped his lips as he tossed and turned. He wondered if he Selphie was still awake. Some of her babbling would sure enough put him to sleep quickly. He turned over and scooted himself to the edge of the bed. He leaned over to look down at her. She was curled up in ball, shivering. But...at the same time, she looked so peaceful. A stray hair was carelessly lying across her face. He couldn't help but reach down and gently push it out of the way. The side of his hand had grazed her cheek and he noticed how cold her soft skin was. He furrowed his eyebrows, 'Maybe I should have let her sleep on the bed...' he thought. He shrugged, 'Oh well, too late now.' He saw that she was still shivering, even though she had the cover pulled up around her all the way. He frowned, looking around. He then spotted his coat lying across the bed and grabbed it. Then, he leaned down and carefully placed it over her. She made a soft sigh sound and he saw a small smile form on her lips. He felt a smile forming on his own lips as he watched her sleep for a moment. He quickly shook his head, lying back down and turning around to face away from her. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about the little messenger girl asleep about a foot away from him. Finally, he let sleep take him.  
  
*~*  
  
"Selphie! Selphie, wake up!"  
  
Seifer called to her as he stood looking out the window. She slowly opened her eyes, reaching up to rub them. She saw his coat around her, and she furrowed her eyebrows. She looked over at him, tilting her head slightly. "...Seifer?" she asked, sleepily.  
  
Just then a loud explosion rang out throughout the town. "Oh, shit!" Seifer yelled, ducking down. The building across the street exploded as a giant Galbadian tank rampaged through the town. The glass of the window shattered onto Seifer's back.  
  
"Seifer!" Selphie's eyes grew wide as she slipped out of her bed quickly and stood up, "What's happening!?"  
  
"Damn Galbadians are back...." He looked to her, standing back up "And they brought reinforcements."  
  
She ran up to the window, her mouth dropping open, "Oh, no! We have to go stop them!"  
  
He nodded, brushing the glass off of himself and picked up his jacket from the floor, slipping it on quickly. She pulled on her boots, checking the bottoms, and then picked up her nunchakus. She turned to Seifer as he picked up his gunblade. They met each other's gaze and nodded. She ran towards the door, swinging it open and running out. Seifer followed behind her closely.  
  
They came out of the hotel to see the damage was much worse this time... More dead bodies, but the monsters were scarce. The explosions from the tank scared most of them off. The tank was approaching them, and then stopped as the soldiers inside saw the two fighters ready for a battle. "Show them no mercy!" said the lead soldier to the others inside the tank.  
  
Selphie glanced at Seifer nervously. This thing was huge. Sure, she had faced some rather large enemies, but she hadn't done that for a very long time. It also didn't help that the ruthless Galbadian soldiers were controlling this huge tank.  
  
But, Seifer didn't waste any time. He struck the tank a few times with his gunblade, but sadly, didn't cause much damage to it. Selphie cast a thunder spell on it as she remembered thunder is the most powerful spell against machine-like enemies. It damaged the tank pretty well. She smiled happily to Seifer.  
  
"Good one," he said to her. "Do it again...we can hold 'em off if you keep at it."  
  
She nodded and went to cast another spell. As the thunder struck the tank, it fired a bomb at her. It knocked her into her stomach and caused her to fly back many feet. She fell to hard ground almost silently. Seifer waited for a moment, expecting her to get up, but she didn't. He looked back. She hadn't moved from where she fell. "No...dammit!" He quickly cast the stop spell on the tank. That would buy him a few minutes.  
  
He rushed over to Selphie. Her eyes were closed, and she looked lifeless. Her dress and the ends of her hair were slightly charred from the explosion. "Shit...this isn't happening..." He put his fingers to her neck; he felt a slow pulse. "At least she's still alive...I just don't know for how long." He furrowed his eyebrows, using his best cure magic to wake her. Nothing worked. "Dammit, Selphie! ...Don't do this...not now..."  
  
~To be continued...  
  
Okay, that's the end of the second chapter. Thanks for being patient and I'll try to write the 3rd chapter as soon as possible! This was a pretty long chapter, so enjoy the cliffhanger! ^_^ Thanks! Also, thank you to my friend, you know who you are, who helped me with the title of the chapter, lols. 


	3. Strange New Feelings

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl  
  
Chapter 3: Strange New Feelings  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the FFVIII Characters, etc.  
  
Enjoy the third installment of this story!  
  
"Do you think she's okay?" asked Zell as he and Squall walked back to the Garden. They had finished their rounds in Timber and were coming back to report what they had done.  
  
Squall looked at Zell for a very brief moment, and then looked in front of him as they entered the Garden. "...Who?" he asked.  
  
"Selphie, man. I mean, she's stuck in Winhill with Seifer. That must be horrible."  
  
Squall shrugged his shoulders slightly, "...She can handle herself." He then thought, 'She's strong, but is she strong enough to spend a day or two with Seifer alone?' He sighed, 'I hope so...'  
  
The two then walked to the elevator. Squall pressed the button for the third floor and the two rode up to tell Quistis their report.  
  
*~*  
  
"Dammit, Selphie...you can't do this. Not now..." Seifer looked towards the tank and saw that his spell was wearing off, "Shit, I need to get her out of here." He put his right hand underneath her knees and his left around her back. He lifted her up quickly and ran as fast as he could out of the small town. He made his way to the train station just outside the town and set Selphie gently down onto the bench. He picked up the phone that was attached to a pole and dialed the number for the headmaster's office. The phone rang, "Pick up, dammit!" he yelled, impatiently.  
  
"This is Ms. Trepe, how can I help you?" Quistis turned away from Squall and Zell as she answered the phone.  
  
"Quistis! I need you to get a room in the infirmary free. I don't care who the hell's in it or what's wrong with them, but kick them out!" Seifer yelled into the phone, looking at Selphie for a moment, who was still unconscious.  
  
"Oh, hello to you, too, Mr. Almasy," she said, but she could tell he wasn't joking and furrowed her eyebrows, "Wait, what exactly is wrong?"  
  
"Just do it! I'll explain when I get there," he yelled louder as the train stopped at the station, "I'll be there in a little while."  
  
He picked Selphie up again and stepped onto the train. He managed to open the door to the SeeD room and entered it, laying Selphie gently onto the bed. He sat down on the couch and sighed, watching her. "Selphie...you know, you're a lot cuter when you're aggravated at me..." He sighed again. He didn't want this to happen to her... It wasn't her fault; it was his. He wasn't looking out for her enough...  
  
*~*  
  
Quistis hung up the phone and looked to Squall and Zell worriedly, "I think you guys are going to have to give me your report later."  
  
"Who was that?" asked Zell curiously.  
  
"That was Seifer. He told me to save a room in the Infirmary..."  
  
Squall and Zell both looked at each other, then back to Quistis, "What do you mean...?" Squall asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.  
  
"I honestly do not know, Squall. But, Seifer sounded pretty worried. I think something happened..."  
  
"No...not to Selphie!" Zell yelled.  
  
Squall crossed his arms and looked at the ground. Quistis sighed softly, "I... hope not, but we will find out when he gets here. Until then, just make sure one of the beds in the Infirmary is not occupied." Zell nodded and quickly ran out of the room to the Infirmary. Squall sighed and followed him out, hoping deep inside that the worst hadn't happened.  
  
*~*  
  
About a couple hours later, Seifer came running into the Garden towards the Infirmary, Selphie unconscious in his arms. Squall, Zell, and Quistis were waiting outside and all of their faces fell. The worst had happened.  
  
Seifer walked passed them quickly, not even noticing that they were there. He nodded to Dr. Kadowaki as he went into the first room, setting Selphie gently down onto the bed. He looked down at her. Still, there was no change. She lay there, almost lifeless. The only thing that showed she was alive was the slow rise and fall of her chest. Seifer sat on the stool next to her bed as Dr. Kadowaki, Squall, Zell, and Quistis packed into the small room.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her!?" Zell asked angrily.  
  
Seifer looked up at him, glaring at him. He was not in the mood to deal with the chicken-wuss' anger management problem. "I didn't do anything to her," he said, rather calmly, although his heart was beating rapidly with worry.  
  
"Then, what happened?" asked Quistis softly.  
  
"Well, we did our rounds in the town, a-and I thought we were done when I heard this loud noise. It was a goddamn Galbadian tank. Naturally, she wanted to fight it..." He looked at Selphie sadly, "So, we went out and fought it. She was kicking its ass pretty well with her thunder magic, but then...it caught on, I guess, so it fired a bomb at her..." He sighed, "I didn't realize what was happening, so I-I couldn't stop it. She flew back really far and when I went to her, she was unconscious."  
  
Squall looked at Seifer hard. He had never seen him so upset about something. He crossed his arms and looked at Selphie as Dr. Kadowaki went to her side to check her heart beat. "She's still alive, but her pulse is weak..." the doctor announced.  
  
Seifer looked at her, "What does that mean? She's going to be okay, right?"  
  
Dr. Kadowaki looked down at Selphie, "At this point, I don't know, Mr. Almasy." She looked at Selphie's stomach, noticing the bad burn from the bomb, "I should get this cleaned up, though." She left the room for a moment, coming back in and began to clean and dress the wound.  
  
Quistis frowned, "I hope she will be alright."  
  
Squall sighed sadly, "...Me, too."  
  
Seifer watched the doctor clean Selphie's wound up as he tapped his foot a little impatiently. He wanted the doctor to tell something more than 'I don't know' because that just wasn't good enough for him.  
  
After a little while of awkward silence, Dr. Kadowaki finished bandaging Selphie's wound and stood up. Everyone looked at her anxiously. "I'm sorry to say to you all that I don't think Selphie will wake up easily. I just don't know when she will awaken...but, the longer it lasts, the less likely it is."  
  
Seifer put his hands on his face, rubbing it for a moment before looking at the unconscious girl. Zell stomped angrily out of the room, while Quistis sighed softly, saying, "Oh dear..."  
  
Squall clenched his fist and hit the wall hard. Everyone gasped, looking over at him, except Seifer who didn't take his eyes off of Selphie. Squall looked at everyone and sighed, looking to the floor.  
  
Dr. Kadowaki sighed as well, looking to everyone, "You can all leave now. There's nothing more you can do." Quistis nodded to her and left the room quietly.  
  
Squall took a few steps closer to Seifer, looking at Selphie with sadness in her eyes. "I can't believe this..." he said softly, mostly to himself.  
  
"Me either," Seifer replied.  
  
"...I can't believe you let this happen to her," said Squall, anger now resonating in his voice.  
  
Seifer slowly turned his head to look at him, anger beginning to surge through him, "I didn't 'let' anything happen to her... We were fighting a battle...you can't always predict—"  
  
"That doesn't matter. You were supposed to protect her," Squall interrupted.  
  
"Why don't you worry less about Selphie and more about that helpless bitch of yours," Seifer narrowed his eyes, knowing he had struck a nerve.  
  
Squall clenched his fists again and fired a punch to Seifer's jaw, then stormed out of the Infirmary to his dorm. He didn't want to leave Selphie alone with Seifer, but he had to get out of there. He couldn't be in the same room with him any longer.  
  
Seifer put a hand to his jaw, which was now throbbing, and slightly smirked, "His punching has improved...that's for sure." If these would have been different circumstances, he would have gladly hunted Squall down and taught him a lesson, but he had more important things to worry about than the pain in his jaw.  
  
He looked back to Selphie and tilted his head. She looked like she was in a deep sleep. She looked so innocent, and she even looked a little cold. He looked around the room and saw a blanket draped over a chair. He stood up and picked it up, then gently placed it over her. He sat back down on the stool and continued to watch her. He sighed, mentally scolding himself again. He can't believe that he didn't see the blow coming...how could he not have been able to protect her? He hated to admit it, but Squall was right. He was supposed to protect her. He looked at her small hand and gently took it into his own. He gently squeezed hers and furrowed his eyebrows, "I'm so sorry, Selphie. You didn't deserve this...I'm sorry..." His laid his head down on the softness of the bed beside Selphie and drifted off to a restless sleep, her hand still seemingly lifeless in his.  
  
*~*  
  
Several hours later, Selphie's hand slightly moved within Seifer's. He gasped slightly from the movement that had taken him out of his sleep abruptly. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at Selphie. She gently moved her fingers around his hand ever so slightly and began to shift a little in her bed. Seifer's face lit up as he watched her, "Selphie...?" he asked, his stomach tightening from nervousness. Her eyes opened barely halfway before she made a soft moaning sound. "Selphie?" he repeated.  
  
She blinked her eyes slowly a few times as she tried to bring things back into focus. The first thing coming into focus was Seifer's worried face hovering over hers. An exhausted smile slowly formed on her lips and she tiredly asked, "Did...did we win?"  
  
Seifer's face lit up even more and he smiled down at her as she asked her question. "Kind of..." he replied.  
  
"Okay," she closed her eyes again, wincing a little as she began to feel the pain throughout her body, mostly on her stomach and her head was pounding. "W-what happened?"  
  
Seifer looked at her sadly as he noticed her discomfort, "You got hit pretty hard with a bomb from the tank and it knocked you out. I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up..." he swallowed hard, "I-I was really worried."  
  
She smiled up at him, opening her eyes again, "Oh, well, you should've known that something like that couldn't keep me down forever."  
  
He put his other hand over the top of hers, smiling down at the girl, "You're right. I really should have known that. I'm just glad you're okay, though. You gave us all a big scare."  
  
"Really?" Selphie asked, rather innocently, then furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed the large red mark on his cheek. "What's that from?"  
  
Seifer looked at her confused for a moment, then remembered his little spat with Squall. "That's from Squ—you know, never mind, actually. It's not important," he said to her, hoping she was still too out of it to realize his slip up.  
  
"Oh, okay," she said and yawned, then blushed slightly as she finally realized Seifer was holding onto her hand.  
  
He smirked to himself, almost in disbelief that the girl was still able to get nervous and blush around him after she had been unconscious for many hours. "Do you want me to leave you alone so you can get some sleep?"  
  
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "Actually...do you think you could take me to my room? I-I think I would sleep a lot better in there." He nodded and let go of her hand, then proceeded to pick her up gently. She leaned her head against his chest, holding onto his shoulder as he began to carry her out of the Infirmary.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, where are you going with her?" Dr. Kadowaki stopped them.  
  
"She's awake and she said she wanted to rest in her room," Seifer told her.  
  
"Oh, alright, well make sure she comes back tomorrow so I can check her wounds and make sure she did not suffer any head trauma." He nodded, then continued to walk out of the Infirmary.  
  
As he carried her down the halls, Selphie had already fallen back asleep. He glanced down at her momentarily, smiling to himself as people around him stared. He gave them death glares as he made his way to Selphie's room, passing Squall on the way, who actually looked up from something that was particularly interesting on the floor to stop him. "What the hell are you doing with her now?" Squall asked in a threatening tone.  
  
"Don't be so loud. She's asleep and I'm taking her to her room because she wants to rest in there instead of the Infirmary," Seifer replied calmly.  
  
"...So, she's awake then. Or was."  
  
Seifer said, "Yeah, she is. She's just resting right now." He pushed past Squall and continued on to Selphie's room, managing to open the door with the small woman in his arms. Squall watched them walk and sighed, walking into his dorm, slamming the door. Seifer shook his head and entered Selphie's room. He gently laid her down on her bed, and covered her up with her blanket. He looked at her for a moment, a small smile on his face, "I'll be a couple doors down the hall in my room. Yell if you need something, okay?"  
  
She mumbled something about skinning a moomba in her sleep and he assumed that meant 'okay'.  
  
Seifer went to her door, taking one last look at her, then exited her room, going back to his own to lie down for a while.  
  
*~*  
  
She awoke a couple hours later to the sound of her stomach growling. She hadn't eaten since the previous day and for Selphie, that was a record. She sat up, vaguely remembering something about Seifer telling her to yell for him if she needed anything. But, she didn't want to cause a ruckus. She also didn't want to wake Seifer up since he had been up with her most of the night to make sure she was all right. A small smile formed on her face at the thought, then she quickly shook it away, slowly getting out of her bed. She crossed over her room to the door and left her room. She slowly made her way down the hall and spotted Squall who was casually leaning against the rail near the entrance to the dorm area. She cautiously approached him and smiled to him, "Hey, Squall," she said, her voice cheery, yet still full of sleepiness.  
  
He looked over at her, his eyes wide from being startled for a moment. He hadn't expected to hear her voice. "...Hey."  
  
"How are you?" she asked, as though it was a normal day.  
  
"I think I should be asking you the same thing..."  
  
"Oh, right," she giggled softly, then winced from the pain in her stomach, "I'm okay. Not totally great cause my stomach still kind of hurts and my head feels like it's really big."  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows, "Shouldn't you be resting, then? Or having your little knight out getting you stuff you need?" Annoyance was clear on his voice.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him, "You mean Seifer?" Squall nodded. "Oh, well, he went back to his room 'cause he was tired. I don't blame him...he was up with me almost the whole time I was out," she couldn't help but smile again at the thought.  
  
Squall looked at the floor, "I see..."  
  
Selphie tilted her head, looking at him, "What's wrong?"  
  
He glanced at her, "...Nothing. It just seems as though your attitude toward Seifer has changed since you left..."  
  
"Oh," she said, "Well, it kind of has." She hadn't even realized her attitude towards him had changed. It just sort of happened.  
  
"......"  
  
Selphie sighed softly, "I just mean... he took care of me when I was hurt. He just seemed to change...a-and he was nicer and caring towards me."  
  
Squall looked hard at her, "I see. So...you like him now," he said.  
  
Her eyes grew wide, a blush coming into her cheeks, "W-what? I-I never said that!"  
  
He looked away from her, "...Whatever. You're a horrible liar, Selphie."  
  
"What? Y-you actually think I like him like that?"  
  
"It's written all over your face," Squall said, a hint of irritation in his voice.  
  
"Well...s-so what if I do like him!? I...I don't see why you care, anyway!" she said, defensively.  
  
"I don't...I just don't want to see you get hurt," he replied, calmly.  
  
Her brows knitted together, "Why would I get hurt?"  
  
"Forget it. Do what you want. I don't care," he waved his hand dismissively at her and walked past her into his room.  
  
Selphie watched him leave and frowned. She shrugged her shoulders and walked leisurely to the cafeteria, still holding her stomach and seeing that Zell was already there. His eyes widened and he rushed up to her. "Selph! You're awake!"  
  
She smiled sleepily to him, "Hey, Zell."  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah, a little bit. I'm awake, so that's the best part!"  
  
He nodded, "Yeah, I'm glad. We were all really worried."  
  
"So, I've heard," she said to him.  
  
Zell looked around the room, "Where's Seifer? I would think he would be following you around after what happened..."  
  
"Oh, no. He's asleep in his room, I think. I didn't want to bother him," she said, feeling defensive again.  
  
"I really don't think he would mind if you went to wake him up."  
  
She put her hands on her hips, almost forgetting about the pain in her stomach, "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"What I mean is, he likes you, Selphie. Everyone can see it now, especially after whatever happened to you two on your little mission," he stated.  
  
"But...nothing happened between us."  
  
"I don't mean that. I mean when he came back and you were unconscious, he was seriously worried. I had never seen him like that before...it was damn weird."  
  
Selphie looked at Zell thoughtfully, "Oh...I didn't know that."  
  
"Something changed in him when he saw you like that. I think you should talk to him about it."  
  
"There's nothing to talk about, though," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.  
  
Zell laughed slightly, "The fact you're getting all defensive about it just proves my point. You like Seifer! Selphie likes Seifer!"  
  
"Zell! Be quiet! I so don't have the strength to beat you up right now."  
  
He slumped his shoulders slightly, "Alright, fine. But, I'll only stop if you promise me to go talk to Seifer about it."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Selphie likes Seifer! Selphie likes Seifer!" Zell shouted, now drawing a few people to stare at them and laugh.  
  
"Why do you want me to talk to him so badly?" she interrupted.  
  
"Because...I think you might actually be able to change Seifer's assholish ways. Plus, I don't think you're ever going to have a chance with Squall, so I think being with Seifer would be good for you...no matter how much I hate him. Now, go!"  
  
"Okay, fine!" Selphie said, turning to leave. She walked to the exit, glancing back at Zell, sticking her tongue out at him. He pointed to the exit and she sighed, nodding as she left. She made her way back to the dorms and down the hall to Seifer's room.  
  
Selphie raised her fist, taking a deep breath, then knocked softly on the door.  
  
~To be continued...  
  
Okay, hope you liked the 3rd installment of my story! I will get to writing the 4th chapter ASAP! ^_^ 


	4. Confessions

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl 

Chapter 4: Confessions

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters.

Inside his room, Seifer was slumped over on his desk, sleeping on an open weapons monthly magazine when he heard a distant knock awake him from his sleep. He lifted his head, blinking his eyes a few times to make the familiarity of his room come into focus. He squinted at the door and groggily said, "What?" to whomever had awoken him.

"Um…Seifer, it's Selphie. Can I come in for a sec?" the timid voice called from the other side of the door.

Seifer immediately got up and went to door, rubbing his eyes for a moment before opening the door to see a surprisingly chipper Selphie. "Hey…," he said to her.

Selphie looked up at him and smiled, "Hey, Seifer. Oh, you look sleepy…did I wake you up?"

Seifer nodded, "Yeah, but, it's fine. I don't care."

Selphie's smile remained, "Okay, good, well I--"

Seifer stepped out of the way, "You can come in, if you want."

She nodded and stepped into his room. He went and sat down in his chair and motioned his hand for her to take a seat on his bed. She walked over and sat down, facing him. She glanced around the room slightly, biting her lip for a moment. Seifer noticed and raised an eyebrow, "Uh, so, how are you feeling?"

She looked back to him, "Oh, I'm doing a lot better. Still a little head-achey and stomach-achey, but overall, I feel much better. All thanks to you."

Seifer looked away from her, "Nah, you were hurt, so I took you to the Infirmary, it was nothing."

"Either way," she said, "I'm really grateful. I just wanted to tell you how much I do appreciate it." She smiled thankfully to him, but he still wasn't looking at her.

"It's nothing," he replied.

"I…I also wanted to say…" Selphie began.

Seifer looked back over to her and watched her. She suddenly looked even more nervous than when she came inside. "What?"

"Well, after everything that happened…I think…I mean, I know that I…" She bit her lip again. She could almost feel her heart pounding through her chest. She never thought she would be this nervous to tell him. "I-I…like you, Seifer."

Seifer stared at her. Was she serious? Judging by her nervousness, he knew she was. "Oh," was all he could say. He continued staring at her, almost studying her. Why would she like him? All he did was rescue her from, well, dying. No wonder she came down with a crush on him. This still seemed ridiculous to him. She was so not his type, even if she was incredibly attractive and nice to him. Her extreme hyperness and cheeryness just wasn't his thing. He suddenly started laughing. "I think you have a concussion, Selphie." She furrowed her eyebrows, feeling slightly offended, "What? Well, I probably do, but that's besides the point. I'm serious. I like you, Seifer. I really do."

"So, what?" he said, the tone of his voice suddenly changing.

She paused, and her brows remained furrowed. "So…I-I just wanted you to know."

"Do you expect me to do something about it? Do you want me to kneel down and confess my feelings to you? Is that what you want?"

"Well, n-no…but--"

He interrupted her abruptly, "You think that just because you like someone and you tell them that they'll automatically lay everything down for you?" He scoffed at her, "Little princess Selphie, you think you can get anything you want just because I rescued you. Well, too goddamned bad! I have a life and I don't see you involved in it anytime soon, or ever, for that matter," he almost glared at her as he spoke.

Now she was the one staring at him. She had nothing to say now. Her mouth was parted and the only thing she felt was her hands trembling. Was he really saying this?

"I don't want you peeking around at me just because I saved your damned life. Get over it, little messenger girl. We had a mission together. Who cares? Just get out of here and leave me alone," his tone was harsh, and she could tell he was serious.

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before getting up and running out of his room. He got up and slammed his door. Although he hadn't expected to say everything he had just said, for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to care about how she was feeling. Instead, he just went to his bed and laid down. Why did he explode like that? Selphie wasn't a bad person. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. She just liked him; that wasn't anything bad. Then again, he didn't want her to like him. He wasn't a good person for a relationship and even if he did like Selphie the slightest bit, he didn't think he could be with her. He turned over on his side and stared at the wall. He knew she was upset, but he didn't move or force himself to express concern. He just stared at the wall.

She barely heard the door slam as she kept running. Before she knew it, she felt warm water splashing onto her cheeks. She reached the entrance to the dorms and leaned against a pole, looking upwards. She reached up and wiped away what she had let free from her eyes. 'Did that actually happen?' she thought. 'It was so surreal…Did he really say all that?' She felt a few more tears fall, and she immediately wiped them away, 'I can't believe how stupid I am. What did I expect him to say? Well…I didn't expect him to say that. Maybe a 'That's flattering, but I just want to be friends'?…I could have handled that.' She looked at the ground, 'God, I can't believe that just happened…'

"Selphie…?" A deep, but familiar voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see Squall. He looked concerned.

"H-hi, Squall. I-I don't really want to talk right--" she started, wiping her cheeks quickly.

"Are you all right…?"

She met his eyes and shook her head, "I…don't think so."

Squall suddenly understood and the tone of his voice became bitter, "Seifer. That bastard. I warned you, Selphie."

"I know…" she sniffled softly, "I just thought he had changed. I'm so stupid…"

"You're not stupid. He's the one who's stupid, for treating you like this. You…don't deserve it…" he said the last part more quietly.

Selphie tried to smile but all of the pain she was experiencing was so overwhelming, she barely could anymore.

He lifted his arm and put his hand on her small shoulder, looking into her reddened eyes, "Selphie, you're an amazing girl and you don't deserve to be treated like that. He should be lucky to find someone like you. Anyone should, for that matter."

This time, a small smile managed to form on her face, "Thanks, Squall," she said quietly.

He watched her for a moment, then moved his hand to her back, gently pulling her into an embrace. She reflexively wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. It was just the comfort she needed. Maybe her crush on Seifer was just a delusion…Maybe she still really did like Squall…She had no idea. Her mind was racing. She was feeling so hurt just moments before, but now in the arms of Squall, she was feeling better.

She looked up at him, and Squall put a hand to her cheek softly. He didn't know why he did, it was almost an instinctive thing to do. She smiled a little, the pain seeming to melt away.

Squall looked at her seriously and began, "…Selphie, I--"

"There you are, Squall!" A peppy female voice interrupted.

Squall suddenly removed his hand from Selphie's cheek and looked over to see Rinoa standing a few feet away from them…

To Be Continued

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I'll try not to take so long next time!


	5. The Truth Hurts

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl 

Chapter 5: The Truth Hurts

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters.

Rinoa's cheerful expression changed, and she narrowed her eyes at the sight she saw. "What are you doing with her?" she said, pointedly.

Squall looked down at Selphie and let go of her, looking back to Rinoa. Selphie sighed quietly, wrapping her own arms around herself.

Rinoa walked over to Squall and smacked him across the cheek. "I come back to visit you and find you cheating on me with her!?"

Squall reached up to rub his cheek and angrily said, "No! Goddammit! Will you let me talk for a second!?"

Rinoa crossed her arms and glared at him, "Fine. Talk."

"Selphie was feeling sad about something. I was just giving her some friendly comfort." He continued rubbing his cheek for a moment.

"Sure, Squall. Looked a little more than 'friendly' to me."

He sighed, feeling exasperated, "Whatever. Don't believe me."

Rinoa's expression softened, and her smile returned, "I believe you…I'm sorry about hitting you." She reached up to touch his cheek, but he turned his head so she couldn't touch it. She frowned and crossed her arms again. Squall looked over towards Selphie, but she had disappeared. He looked down at his watch and suddenly remembered something. "Shit, Rinoa. I have to go to a regulation SeeD meeting."

She frowned more, "But, I thought we would go out to eat in Balamb. It's been so long since we've done something like that."

He sighed inwardly, "Yeah, we can do it later. I need to go." Rinoa smiled and leaned up, placing a kiss on his slightly red cheek. Squall looked slightly annoyed and rushed off towards the directory.

----

Seifer walked down the hall. He had almost forgotten about the meeting as well. He saw Rinoa standing at the entrance still and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you're back. What a pleasant surprise," he said sarcastically.

Rinoa looked in his direction and rolled her eyes, "Hello to you, too."

He kept walking and said nothing more. He then remembered he was probably going to have to see Selphie. 'Great,' he thought to himself and sighed again.

"Jeez, why is everyone in such a bad mood around here?" Rinoa said and walked towards the cafeteria, almost running into Zell, who was in too much of a hurry to notice she was there.

---

Selphie was staring at the ground when she heard multiple footsteps approaching. She wondered what this meeting could be about. If it was fighting, they probably wouldn't let her do anything. She looked up when she saw Squall's shoes interrupt whatever it was she was staring at on the ground. He looked down at her and frowned. "Sorry…" he said quietly.

She nodded her head and looked past him to see Seifer coming over. She swallowed hard and looked back up at Squall. Squall looked back to see him as well, his fists clenching and body tensing.

Quistis was on her way over as Squall was about to take a step towards Seifer. Selphie reached out and put her hand on his arm. He paused and looked down at her. "Don't…" she said softly so only he could hear, "Don't make it worse. Not right now…" He sighed and let his body relax, nodding to her.

Quistis looked at everyone, glancing over as Zell ran over and stood in between Squall and Seifer, heaving from being out of breath. Seifer snickered to himself, "A little out of shape, chicken-wuss?"

Zell shot him a glare and looked to Quistis, who was watching the four. "Are you done now?" she asked, but got no response. She assumed that meant they were. "Okay, we have another mission for you all."

Selphie's eyes grew wide, "A-are there going to be partners like last time?" she blurted out, her voice almost shaking. Seifer raised an eyebrow at her outburst.

Quistis shook her head, wondering inside what was wrong with her, "No, you four will be going as a group. Are you even up for it, Selphie?"

Selphie nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'm a little sore, but I can handle it. I need something to distract me, anyway."

Seifer couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Maybe she shouldn't go. We don't want her to almost die again. I don't feel like saving her all over again since she apparently can't look after herself."

Squall clenched his jaw, "You should shut your mouth right now and don't go near her."

Selphie looked up at Squall, and Quistis and Zell both raised their eyebrow, "Is there something I should know about?" Quistis asked.

Selphie quickly shook her head, "No…nothing."

"All right, well, getting back to more important things, you will all be going to Trabia Garden. The headmaster there has notified us because the Galbadian forces are closing in on the Garden, preparing for an attack. And since they only have underclassmen enrolled at the school from the explosion a few months ago, they need SeeDs to protect them. So, you four have been selected." She looked over at Selphie, "I'm glad you're up for it, I knew you would want to be a part of this one."

Selphie nodded, "Yes, I would love to visit my old garden again."

"Why should we care about them? Just let them get attacked. There's probably too many of 'em to protect, anyway," Seifer said.

"We care because they are future SeeDs, Mr. Almasy. Perhaps you shouldn't be a part of this if your heart isn't in it." Quistis replied.

"Oh, my heart is definitely in it, dear instructor," Seifer told her.

Quistis rolled her eyes slightly and said, "All right, well, good. I'll meet everyone at the Balamb train station in one hour. Please, be there on time. You're all dismissed."

Zell was the only one who saluted and ran back towards the Cafeteria to get a snack before the trip. Selphie began walking away, towards the Infirmary. She wanted to get a check up before she left since she didn't know how long she would be gone. Squall watched her walk away and Seifer watched Squall with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, I get it," he said.

Squall looked over to him quickly, "Get what?"

"You like her now and you're jealous because she likes me," he replied with a grin.

"That's not it at all," Squall snapped, "I was worried about her because you were such an asshole to her."

"Yeah, well, what can I say, I didn't tell her to like me. And hey, why do you like the little messenger girl? Isn't your woman back? I know I would prefer the whiney bitch over the hyperactive school spirit girl. I should know, anyway," Seifer snickered.

Squall's eyes widened and he stepped over to him, his fist already clenched. He cracked him across the cheek hard. Seifer reeled back slightly and held his cheek, "Man, you do love hitting me."

"You asked for it," Squall said, his fist ready to hit him again. Before he could, Seifer lifted his leg and sent a kick towards Squall's stomach. Squall felt all the air go out of him for a few seconds and gasped for breath. He finally regained it and shouted, "You piece of shit! How could you treat her like that?"

"I told you. I don't care. I wasn't even going to say that to her, but it just came out," he shrugged his shoulders, "It's not my fault if she thought I liked her."

Rinoa was on her way towards the front to see if the meeting was finished when she heard the shouting. She stopped and watched the two.

"She thought you liked her because it was the first time you barely showed any concern for anyone. Apparently that didn't matter though," Squall said bitterly.

"What? You think she changed me or something?" He scoffed at Squall, "No one could change me. I was just caring for her because you always have your hands full of Rinoa and didn't think you could make time to care for your 'friend'. Someone had to do it so she wouldn't die."

"What the hell is your problem? I could always make time for her. She's my friend for god's sake! You think I don't care about her? I care about her more than that stupid girlfriend of mine who just comes here and smacks me for no reason!" Squall yelled.

Rinoa finally spoke up, her eyes suddenly full of tears, "Is that…what you really think?"

Squall looked towards her, he hadn't even noticed her. "Goddammit," he muttered to himself. He sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn't get out of this one, "…Yes."

Seifer couldn't help but snicker to himself. This seemed like it was going to be entertaining.

Rinoa walked up to him and smacked him again, "There! That time you deserved it! How can you care about her more than me!?"

"Rinoa, not now…" Squall quietly said.

"Yes, now! I came back here for you thinking you actually loved me and cared about me, Squall, especially after everything we've been through! How could you say you care about her more than me?"

"I…don't know. I just do. I've known her since I was little and…I can't help but care about her more," Squall replied calmly.

"Fine, Squall! You can just forget about having me then!" Rinoa spoke angrily, "I'm not going to be second best for you. You just take me for granted! You think Selphie actually likes you the same way you like her? You're probably going to be all lonely and it's all your fault! Have a nice life, Squall!" Rinoa smacked him again and turned, running towards the exit of the Garden.

Squall put his hand to his forehead, ignoring the stinging pain on his cheek. 'What a day,' he thought to himself.

"Thanks, Squall. That was very entertaining," Seifer said with a grin. "Oh, look at the time, better get to the train." He turned and walked towards the Balamb Garden exit.

Squall kept his hand on his forehead as footsteps approached, "Squall?" asked Selphie, "Was that you yelling out here?"

"Yeah…" he said, removing his hand and looking at her.

She noticed his cheek and her eyes widened, "Are you okay?"

He looked away from her, "…Yeah, I'm fine."

She nodded a little, glancing at the clock, "We should get to the train."

"Sure…" he said and walked towards the exit, Selphie following him. She watched him as she walked, he looked more troubled than before.

Zell ran up behind them, "Hey, guys, wait up!" he called.

The two looked back and saw Zell. He saw both of their discomforted expressions and said, "Whoa, who died?"

Selphie said, "I think we've all had a really bad day…" Squall didn't say anything and Selphie furrowed her eyebrows. The three walked to the train, with Selphie and Squall looking confused, tired, troubled, and depressed.

Rinoa was waiting by the train and glared towards the approaching group. Squall sighed to himself, "Oh, great," he said quietly.

"Don't look so excited, Squall," Rinoa said, bitterly. "Lucky for you I get to ride on the same train until I get off at Deling City. Then, I can be out of all your lives." She looked towards Selphie and sent her a glare.

Selphie looked up at Squall for a moment, then to Rinoa, looking confused. 'Well, something must have definitely happened…and what did I do?' Selphie thought.

Zell looked at everyone, "Well, Quistis, let's get this fun mission started, eh?"

Seifer rolled his eyes, "No one wants to hear you talk, chicken-wuss."

Quistis passed out the tickets and sighed, "This should be fun…"

-To Be Continued-

Thanks for reading and next chapter should be up soon!


	6. Revelations

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl 

Chapter 6: Revelations

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters.

Everyone stepped onto the train, avoiding each other's gazes. Squall went to the computer near the door and opened it up for Selphie. "Thanks," she said quietly and went into the next room, standing near the window. Rinoa had watched Squall and folded her arms, glaring around the room. Squall turned and glanced around the room, sighing to himself. He went through the door and into the SeeD room. Seifer followed him a few moments later. Selphie saw them out of the corner of her eye, and she kept herself faced towards the window, staring out at the passing land. Quistis and Rinoa went in soon after. Zell stayed behind and went up to Selphie.

"Selph?" he asked.

She turned her gaze and looked over at him, "What?"

"I'm guessing things didn't go very well…" he said after a moment.

She shook her head and leaned her head down, resting her chin on her hands, "Not at all."

"I'm sorry, Selph."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'll…get over it or something."

He nodded and proceeded into the SeeD room. Everyone was standing as far away from each other as possible. Quistis looked around at everyone and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, would someone like to inform me as to what is going on here?"

Zell nodded, "Yeah, I know one thing, but all of you guys seem pissed off."

Seifer spoke up, "I'm not pissed off. I'm just great."

"All right," she turned to Squall, "Then what is wrong with you?"

Squall looked at the floor, "…Nothing."

Rinoa looked over at Squall and felt tears coming into her eyes again. So far, her anger had been masking it, but now they started to flow again. "Squall doesn't want to be with me anymore, that's what's wrong!" She crossed the room quickly and went out into the hallway to see Selphie. She heard the commotion and turned to look at Rinoa, "Are you okay?" she asked her.

Rinoa glared at her through her tears, "What do you care!? It's your fault my life is ruined now!"

Selphie furrowed her eyebrows, "What? What did I do?"

"Oh, you know exactly what you did."

"Um, no, I really don't," Selphie answered honestly.

Rinoa came towards her and pushed her with full force. Selphie's eyes widened. She hadn't expected this, and she felt herself falling back. Her balance was never great, so she fell onto her bottom. "You took him away from me!" she yelled down at her.

"What!? I didn't do anything!" she said as she started getting back up. Before she knew it, she was on the ground again, but not from a push, from the force of Rinoa's fist connecting with her cheek.

By this time, the four in the SeeD room had come out to see what was going on. The color had drained from Squall's face, and he was staring at the event he just witnessed. Seifer couldn't help but laugh to himself. Quistis had her hand covering her mouth. Zell's eyes were so wide, it seemed as though his eyeballs were ready to fall out of them.

Selphie's eyes were still wide as well, and she held her cheek. "I'm not going to fight you, Rinoa! Especially over something I didn't even do. Maybe it was your fault!" "How can it be my fault?! I didn't tell Squall to love you!"

Squall suddenly shouted, "Th-that's enough you two!"

Selphie looked up Squall from her position on the ground and stared at him. Squall barely glanced at her and swallowed hard. He went towards Rinoa and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the front of the train. "Do not ever start shit with her or any of my friends again. This was between you and me, not you and Selphie. Leave her alone," his voice was harsh as he glared down at her.

Rinoa pulled her arm away from his grip and pushed him away from her, "Fine, go be with your precious love! See if I care!" Squall turned away from her and headed back into the hallway.

Seifer went over to Selphie and grabbed her arm to help pull her up. Squall saw this and his mouth fell open slightly She didn't even realize Seifer was doing it until she was standing again. She looked up at him and snatched her arm away quickly. He smiled wide to her, "Once again, I have to help you because Squall is too busy with Rinoa. Isn't that a shame…"

"Shut up, Seifer!" she pushed past him and went into the SeeD room, sitting down on the bottom bunk bed. Quistis and Zell followed her in, not aware that Squall was behind them, watching Seifer. Quistis sat beside Selphie, looking at her worriedly. She reached up and felt her cheek. It seemed to feel slightly swollen. 'I didn't know Rinoa could hit that hard,' she thought. She then looked over at Quistis, "I'm fine, Quisty." Quistis nodded slightly and Zell watched the two.

---

Squall went over and pushed Seifer up against the wall with his full force. "I told you to leave her alone. I thought that was clear."

"Oh, it's crystal clear, Commander. Then again, she does still like me, so I don't think she would mind if I didn't leave her alone." Seifer grinned.

"Why don't you let her decide that? If I'm not mistaken, I saw her push you away. That doesn't bode well for you," Squall said, his eyes narrowed. "You're no good for her, all you do is hurt her or let her get hurt!"

"Excuse me? I think your girlfriend, or maybe ex-girlfriend, was the one who was hurting her that time. That was your problem. And I think that if I apologized to the dear little messenger girl, she'll come around again."

"Why do you care!? What's in it for you?"

"Well, an attractive girlfriend for one thing, and some action," Seifer laughed, "I'm sure she's never done anything before. I can show her the ropes, just like with Rinoa."

"I will not let you go near her! I won't let you use her like that!"

"Well, using your own words, why don't you let her decide that? If you love her so much, maybe you need to fight for her, or I'll come and snatch her away," he grinned.

Squall let go of him and backed away from him, "Fine, she'll see you're no good. If she hasn't already." He turned and walked back into the SeeD room with Seifer following a little far behind.

Selphie looked up and saw him, then Seifer. She looked away.

"Are you--" Squall began quietly.

"Are you okay, Selphie?" Seifer interrupted.

Selphie raised an eyebrow and looked back over to them. Squall glared back at him. "Why do you care?"

"Why shouldn't I care? You're part of the team so I just wanted to make sure you were all right after that crazy bitch hit you," Seifer answered, feeling satisfaction out of making Squall grow increasingly angry.

Selphie kept her eyebrow raised. Was he serious? How could he be after everything he said to her earlier. No, there was no way he could be. He's playing her. Just setting her up to get hurt again. Or was he? She didn't know. Then, she remembered Rinoa's voice, 'I didn't tell Squall to love you!'. Was she serious? She looked over at Squall. Did he really love her? And how did she feel about him?

Her head started to hurt. She didn't know what to think. She put her hand to her forehead and looked down at the ground. When did everything become so confusing?

Quistis put her hand on Selphie's shoulder, "Are you sure you're all right?"

Selphie looked up and over at Quistis, "What? Oh, I'm fine. Just have a headache."

"Maybe you should take it easy and rest. It's an overnight trip, anyway," Quistis suggested.

The intercom suddenly sounded, "We're now at Deling City Station. Everyone departing please exit now."

Rinoa stood in the doorway, "Well, if any of you care at all, I'm just saying good-bye since I don't think I'll ever see any of you again." She was careful to avoid Squall and Selphie's glance. "So…good-bye." She turned and headed for the front room. She stepped off the train with a sigh, wondering if she ever would see them again. 'What a way to leave,' she thought and shook her head.

Quistis stood up to let Selphie lay down. Selphie got underneath the covers and turned on her side facing the wall. She needed to sleep on it. She couldn't think of anything coherent concerning Squall and Seifer right now.

Quistis looked at the three, "If you guys have anymore bickering to do, please take it somewhere else. I really hope you're done because I've just had enough. I think Selphie and Zell have, too. We all need to get along if we're going to be able to succeed in this mission. Is that clear?"

Squall and Seifer nodded.

Zell then said, "Maybe we should all get some sleep. We have both of these room, so decide where you want to sleep."

"I'll stay in here and look after Selphie," Seifer said.

Squall sent him a glare, "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"All right, Zell and I will stay in here with her. I hope that's fine. If not, then too bad. We do not need any other confrontations tonight. Just go rest up for the battle tomorrow," said Quistis.

Squall and Seifer nodded once again. They both headed out and went into the next room.

Zell looked at Quistis, "Good idea. They both need to get away from her, well, Seifer does anyway. I don't trust him around her," he glanced over at Selphie, who had almost immediately fallen asleep.

Quistis sighed quietly, "I'll have to agree with you. I'm guessing something happened between all of them that I missed."

Zell nodded and explained to Quistis everything that had happened with Selphie and Seifer.

"I see," Quistis said after a moment, "That explains a lot." She sighed quietly, "Poor Selphie." She went to the bunk bed and climbed the ladder to the top bed. "Hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch, Zell."

Zell waved his hand, "Nah, I don't mind. It's fine with me." He laid down on the couch and put his hands behind his head. He fell asleep after a few minutes. Quistis laid down and fell asleep a little while afterwards.

In the next room, Squall and Seifer looked hard at each other. Seifer suddenly said, "I want the top bed."

"Whatever," he said tiredly. He walked over to the bottom bed and laid down. He closed his eyes, feeling exhausted from everything that had happened. Seifer climbed to the top bed and laid down. Squall let out a sigh and turned on his side to face the wall. He drifted off to a restless sleep. Seifer fell asleep soon after.

---

"Next stop, Trabia Station," sounded the intercom throughout the train.

Selphie opened her eyes slowly and rubbed them. Everyone else was already awake and standing around. She couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed that she let herself sleep for so long. She looked at the clock that was on the wall. It was already mid-morning. She had intended to wake up a lot earlier, but assumed it was all right since they hadn't arrived at Trabia yet. She sat up and ran her fingers through her presumably messy hair.

Squall looked over at her, noticing she was awake, "Morning," he said quietly.

She smiled slightly, "Morning…sorry, guys. I didn't mean to sleep that long."

"Oh, don't worry about it. You probably needed the sleep," said Seifer, who smiled at her.

Selphie looked confused and scratched her head. Squall sent him a glare. He got up from his seat on the couch and sat down next to her, looking over at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked her quietly.

She looked at him, "I'm feeling a little better, I think."

"That's good," he replied, just as quietly as before. She smiled a little and looked around at everyone else. Quistis was glancing out the window, Seifer was looking at her and Squall, and Zell looked anxious to fight as he was 'swatting flies'.

The intercom sounded, "Trabia Station. All those departing, please exit now."

Squall stood up, followed by Selphie. Everyone grabbed their weapons and headed to the front. They stepped off the train and looked around. Quistis noticed the walkway to the Garden and motioned for everyone to follow her.

Selphie saw the Garden and her eyes grew wide, "Wow, it looks great, especially after that horrible explosion!" She sounded much cheerier than the day before.

Squall looked down at her and nodded, "Yeah…they really cleaned this place up."

Quistis nodded, "Yes, hopefully the Galbadians won't mess it up again."

"I won't let them! This was my home and I won't let them destroy it all over again." Selphie said as they walked into the Garden.

The Headmaster met them at the entrance, "Good to see you all," he said, "We are very glad you're here." The five stood at attention and saluted the Headmaster. "The Galbadians are launching their attack at any time so you all got here just in time. I need two people stationed at the back of the Garden and three in the front. Will you divide yourselves up?"

"I'm with Selphie," Seifer spoke up first. Selphie smacked her forehead.

"So am I," Squall said.

Quistis sighed, "All right, Zell and I will take the back."

The Headmaster nodded to them. "Good, take your positions." He turned and went back into the main building.

Quistis looked at Selphie apologetically, "Good luck, you three."

Selphie smiled slightly to her, "You too. Be careful."

Zell did a fist pump into the air, "The Galbadians are history!" He and Quistis ran off towards the back entrance.

Selphie looked up at Squall and Seifer. 'This is going to be a long battle,' she thought.

Seifer smiled wide, "Aw, won't this be fun. Us fighting side by side again."

Selphie just couldn't take it anymore. What was wrong with Seifer? Why was he suddenly being nice to her again? "Okay, Seifer, I don't know what your problem is. Why are you being nice to me when before you told me to stay away from you?"

Squall looked at Selphie, then to Seifer. He would like to see what Seifer could come up with from that question.

Seifer paused for a moment, "Well, because I feel bad about what I said to you before. So, I'm sorry."

"Oh.." Selphie said. She couldn't help but be surprised. Squall also looked surprised.

Seifer smiled at her, "Forgive me?"

Selphie paused, "Well…" Squall looked down at her. He shook his head, indicating that she shouldn't forgive him for what he said to her. "I don't know, Seifer…"

"Well, I could make it up to you. Let me take you on a date after this battle," Seifer said, the smile still on his face. Squall's eyes widened. How hard was he going to try to piss him off? He couldn't tell Selphie that Seifer was up to no good because he couldn't tell her what to do.

Selphie raised an eyebrow, "A date?"

"Yeah, let me take you out to dinner. Any pace you want."

"Really?" she asked, she almost seemed intrigued. Seifer nodded and Squall sighed to himself. "Well, maybe…if we even survive this. Let me think it over…"

Seifer grinned at her, "Great. And I'm sure you'll survive with me protecting you."

"Like it did any good last time…" Squall mumbled to himself. He looked down at Selphie, "And with me…" he said.

She looked up at him and smiled slightly, "I know."

---

Suddenly, they heard the sound of marching soldiers. The Galbadians had arrived. They ran towards the entrance where Squall, Selphie, and Seifer were standing.

"Here we go…" Selphie said to herself. She bit her lip slightly. It was a habit for her whenever she got nervous about something.

Squall looked down at her, 'I hope she'll be okay…her wound on her stomach still isn't fully healed.'

Seifer also looked down at her, 'Heh, maybe I can get a date with her. I'm sure she'll say yes, after all, she did have a huge crush on me.' He grinned to himself, 'If I can get a date out of her after this, then maybe, if I'm nice enough, I can get more than just a kiss at the end of the night.'

The soldiers crossed over the entrance and attacked the three SeeDs. Selphie got a few with her nunchakus, while Squall and Seifer sliced through them with their gunblades. They continued killing the soldiers, but more just kept coming.

As they fought, Squall did not see a soldier to his left and the soldier's sword sliced his cheek, just nearly missing his eye. He felt the warm liquid running down his cheek and thought, 'Damn, another scar..' He immediately turned and killed the soldier that had cut him before he had another chance.

Selphie glanced over at Squall and saw the blood oozing down his cheek, 'I hope he's okay. That cut looks pretty ba--' as she thought, she felt a sudden stinging pain in her right arm. She glanced down at her arm and saw the same dark red liquid running down her arm. She clenched her jaw and killed the soldier with her nunchakus, which now hurt to use because of the cut.

Seifer effortlessly continued slicing through soldiers until he felt a burst of electricity hit him. He flew back a few yards and shook his head. He felt a little dizzy, but got to his feet, coming back at the soldiers with full force.

The fighting continued until the soldiers near the back began to retreat. Selphie's arm felt limp and sore as blood continued to pour out of the wound When the soldiers around them had finally all been killed, Selphie sank to the ground, holding her arm. Squall and Seifer both bent down next to her.

Squall furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her arm, "When did that happen?"

"I think a minute or so after that happened," she pointed to his cheek with her other arm, which was also still bleeding.

Squall reached up and wiped away some of the blood, "I had forgotten about that."

"It's nice to know you noticed Squall get hurt, but not me," said Seifer.

She looked over at him and frowned, "Well, so-o-o-rry, I kind of was in pain from my arm."

He waved his hand, "Nah, it's fine."

She sighed to herself and rubbed her arm slightly, "Does anyone have anything to wrap this with?"

As she spoke, the Headmaster was on his way over to congratulate them on a job well done. "Well, it seems as though both groups did very well. Oh my! You guys are injured, though. I'll show you to the Infirmary. Follow me."

Before Squall had a chance, Seifer helped Selphie up by her good arm. He clenched his jaw for a moment, but followed the Headmaster as he began walking towards the main building. Selphie instinctively pulled her arm away after Seifer had helped her up and followed Squall, while Seifer followed her.

"Here we are," said the Headmaster. "The doctor will treat any injuries you have."

The three SeeDs walked inside the room to see Quistis and Zell being treated for various cuts they received during the battle. They were relieved to see them alive and mostly well.

The doctor saw them enter the room and motioned for them to each take a seat. Selphie sat down on the unoccupied bed and Squall took a seat next to her. Seifer sent Squall a glare and sat on the bed next to theirs.

The doctor came over to Selphie first, "Oh my, this is a pretty bad cut." She got a few items to clean the wound and wash off all the blood that had poured out down her arm. She studied it for a moment, "This is a deep wound, you're going to need a few stitches." Selphie sighed and nodded. The doctor left for a moment and came back with the things she needed to stitch up the wound. After a time, she said, "All done. You'll need to get those taken out in a couple days by the doctor at your Garden." Selphie nodded and looked at her arm. The doctor then went over to Squall and cleaned off the wound on his cheek. She studied it for a moment, then said, "This one isn't too bad, I'll just bandage it and you should be good to go." Squall nodded and the doctor proceeded to bandage his wound. After she was done with Squall, she went to Seifer and gave him some painkillers.

Squall looked at Selphie, "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "For what?"

"For not protecting you when I should have…I was too concerned about this damn cut on my cheek to notice your arm..."

"Squall, it's okay. I'm okay," she said and smiled a little. "And I can hold my own, so I don't need you guys looking after me all the time, you know."

Squall nodded, "I know…I guess, I was just extra worried because of the other day."

"I figured, but I'll be all right. You don't have to worry as much. Okay?"

"Yes, okay. I'll try not to anymore," he said.

Seifer had been watching them and swallowed his painkillers with a grunt. "When are we getting out of here?" he asked no one in particular.

Quistis looked over at him, "In a while."

"Can I…look around first, Quisty? I want to see what they did to the place because it looks nice," said Selphie.

Quistis nodded, "Sure, go ahead. We won't leave without you."

She stood up and started towards the door.

"Uh, maybe someone should go with you, you know, to make sure there aren't anymore soldiers around," Seifer piped up.

Selphie glanced over her shoulder, "Um, no thanks. I think I'm fine on my own." She left the room and proceeded to walk around the Garden cheerily.

"Ooh, shot down," said Zell.

"Don't make me beat the living piss out of you, Zell," snapped Seifer.

"There will be no fighting in here, boys," said the doctor.

Squall put his hand to his forehead for a moment, 'Seifer is trying way too hard.'

"Do you need some painkillers, Commander?" asked the doctor.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He always does that," said Quistis.

Squall looked up and glared at her. He stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm going for a walk…"

"If you happen to bump into Selphie, let her know the train is leaving in about an hour," mentioned Quistis.

Squall nodded and headed out of the room. Seifer waited for a moment, then said, "Well, if you don't need me in here…I think I'll take a look around, too." He stood up and hurried out of the Infirmary.

Quistis shook her head and chuckled, "They are fighting over her like animals in the wild."

"I'm just waiting for one of them to perform a mating ritual dance," Zell said and laughed.

---

Selphie walked around the Garden, waving to some of the younger kids she recognized, while they cheerily waved back to her. She went into the Quad to see what they were doing with their Garden Festival. 'Hmm…it just doesn't seem the same without me involved in it…'

"Selphie," said two voices at once. She turned around to see both Seifer and Squall. Each of them look surprised to see the other.

She put her hand to her forehead for a moment. "Hmm?"

"Uh…Quistis said to tell you--" Seifer began.

"She said the train is leaving soon, so you know when to go there," Squall finished. Seifer grunted inside, but simply nodded.

"O…kay," Selphie said, "Did she send both of you to tell me that?"

"Well, no, she told Squall, but I went just in case he couldn't find you," Seifer said.

Squall rolled his eyes slightly, "Yeah, so we'll leave you alone now…" He turned and walked away.

Seifer watched Selphie for a moment, then left as well.

Selphie sighed out, "Jeez, they're watching me like hawks or something." She shook her head, then continued walking around the Garden for a while. Once she was finished looking around, she headed for the train station where the other four were already standing. The train arrived a few minutes after and everyone got on the train. Squall went to the computer and opened up the door for Selphie, as he was accustomed to doing for every train ride.

Selphie was in a better mood and headed to the window. She looked out and hummed to herself as she watched the passing scenery. The others headed into the hallway, going into the SeeD room and sitting down, with Seifer lagging behind. He paused and went over to Selphie instead of going into the room.

"What're you humming?" he asked.

"Just a song, is it annoying or something?" she said, somewhat defensively.

"No…it's nice."

Selphie sighed quietly. Seifer's changing attitude towards her was driving her crazy. "What do you want?"

"Just wondering if you've thought about what I suggested," he said.

"The date?" Seifer nodded. "Well…I haven't had much time to think about it…"

"Oh, that's fine, I'll give you a while to--"

"If I say yes, will you stop poking around my shoulder every five seconds?" she asked, feeling almost exhausted from him.

"Yeah, and I didn't mean to be doing that. I just…like you and want to make up for what I said to you, Selphie."

She paused and tilted her head slightly, "You like me..?"

Seifer nodded, "Yes, I guess I just realized it a little too late." "Yes, I would have appreciated that…it would have saved me some tears."

"I know. I'm sorry, Selphie. I promise this date will make up for it. It'll be great."

"All right. I'll go on a date with you," she said finally.

"Great, tomorrow night, okay?"

She nodded a little, "Yeah, that's fine."

Seifer smiled down at her, "Great…uh, have fun with your singing and staring." He turned and headed into the SeeD room, beaming practically. 'Score,' he thought, 'I'll get me some tomorrow night.'

Selphie looked back to the window. 'Seifer likes me? How can that be all of the sudden. I don't get it. Yesterday he hated me and now he likes me...' She sighed, 'Boys are so confusing. I can't take it anymore.' She rubbed her forehead once again, then turned and headed into the SeeD room. Squall was sitting on the bed and so she decided to take a seat next to him. Seifer clenched his fist for a moment, then relaxed. He was coming on too strong, he realized. Squall couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that she had sat next to him, even though there was an open seat next to Seifer.

Squall looked at her, "What did he want?" he asked so only she could hear.

She looked at him. Jealousy was resonating in his voice. "He just wanted to know about that date he asked me about.."

"Did you agree to it…?"

She nodded slowly.

Squall sighed quietly and looked down at the floor, "I…see."

Selphie furrowed her eyebrows. Squall then said, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. He's…he's no good. You should have figured that out from yesterday…"

Selphie nodded a little, "I know…but, I'm just giving him this one chance…"

"You shouldn't even give him that. He's an asshole. There are people much better for you…" Squall said with another sigh, still looking at the ground. He thought, 'Like me…' But, he couldn't tell her. She had been through so much, he didn't want to both her with his confessions of love. He had almost told her before, "…Selphie, I-", but he was interrupted by Rinoa. There was no one to interrupt him now, except Seifer. And he was doing too well of a job.

Selphie looked down, "Maybe…but, I'm not one to give up so easily, so I'm giving him a chance." "All right, well…I'm still here for you…if something happens…" Squall told her, although it was barely audible.

Selphie looked over at him. She couldn't help but smile a little. Squall really was always there for her. She didn't know what to say. All she could say was, "Thanks, Squall…"

He nodded silently and stood up. "I'm getting some sleep. Wake me when we get back to Balamb." He left the room and went into the next, lying down on the bed. He turned on his side and closed his eyes, the cheery face of Selphie sticking in his mind. He just couldn't leave it be. Maybe it was his turn to fight for her. He probably didn't need to fight after tomorrow though. Seifer was going to try and do something horrible, he just knew it. After that, he knew Selphie wouldn't like him anymore. Maybe something good could come of this. He just hoped Selphie wouldn't get hurt again. He drifted off to another restless sleep.

In the next room, Selphie said, "That's a good idea. I'm tired, too." She got underneath the blanket on the bed and laid down. She closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Selphie," said Seifer, and he went into the next room to lay down. Selphie yawned and fell asleep, not responding to Seifer. Zell and Quistis went to sleep soon after.

---

Selphie opened her eyes the next morning and stretched her arms, wincing at the pain from the right one. She had forgotten about her wound. She rubbed it lightly, then sat up in bed, yawning softly. Quistis, Zell, and Seifer were already awake. "Jeez, last again," Selphie said sleepily.

"Actually, Squall still hasn't woken up. Do you think you can go get him? We'll be at Balamb in a few minutes," asked Quistis.

Selphie got up and nodded slightly, "Yeah, I'll be right back." She walked out of the room and went into the next. She saw Squall still asleep and couldn't help but smile to herself. She was a sucker for watching a boy sleep. She walked over to him and gently put her hand on his shoulder, "Squall, we're leaving in a few minutes, you have to get up."

Squall groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. Selphie sighed and put her hand on his back, shaking him slightly, "Squall, you have to get up," she said. He reached back and tried to swat her hand away without succeeding. She shook him again, "Wake up, Squall."

"Goddammit fine," Squall groaned and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and saw Selphie come into focus. "Oh…" he said quietly.

She smiled a little, "Good morning. We're going to be at Balamb in a few minutes."

"Morning…sorry," he said.

She waved her hand, "It's fine. Don't worry about it. You were just being grumpy since you were half asleep."

He nodded and stood up. She walked to the door and he followed her. The others were at the end of the hallway as the train stopped. "Balamb Train Station," sounded the intercom.

Quistis looked at everyone, "Okay, we're all here. Let's go." She headed for the exit and everyone followed her. The five walked down the streets of Balamb and back towards the Garden. No one spoke, except to comment on the weather.

As they got to the entrance, Seifer stopped Selphie. "I'll come by your room and get you around seven, all right?"

She looked up at him, "Yes, that's fine…I'll see you then."

Squall glanced back and watched them, his body tensing for a moment. He wanted to punch Seifer again. He couldn't believe Selphie was buying his fake niceness so easily. He shook his head and walked to his room quickly.

Selphie slightly waved to Seifer and headed to her room.

Seifer grinned to himself, walking towards his room after everyone else and rubbing his hands together, 'Tonight should be great if everything goes my way…and if Selphie buys into everything.'

-To Be Continued-

Find out what will happen in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	7. First Date

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl 

Chapter 7: First Date

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters.

Warning: There is a little bit of sexual scene in this chapter, so you're warned. Nothing too graphic, though.

Selphie ran her finger under cold water, frowning to herself, "Stupid curling iron…I always burn myself." She glanced at the clock as she turned off the water. Seifer would be there to pick her up for their date soon. She was still unsure about it. She still couldn't tell if Seifer really liked her or if he was setting her up to get hurt again. She just didn't know. Either way, she was giving him this one chance to prove himself because she really did still like him. She sighed to herself, hoping this night would be better than she expected it to be. She finished applying her mascara, which she rarely wore, and went over to her closet, pulling out a short sleeveless black dress with thin straps. She didn't think anyone would ever see her in this dress. She only wore it on special occasions and lately, there hadn't been any of those. She bent down and dug around the bottom of her closet until she found the black heels to match. She put them on, then looked at herself in the mirror. To anyone who saw her regularly, they might not recognize her. She had make-up on, her outfit was the opposite of what she always wore. The only way to tell it was her was how she kept her hair in the same flipped out style. She smiled to herself. She really did enjoy getting dressed up every once in a while. Then, she heard a knock on the door. She took a deep breath before walking over to the door and opening it to see Seifer on the other side, looking rather handsome.

Seifer's mouth hung open as he saw her, "Holy sh--…Wow, you look really hot."

Selphie giggled slightly to herself, shaking her head for a moment, 'Okay, so, 'hot' wasn't what I was going for, but…I guess it will work.' She looked at him and smiled a little, "Thanks, you look nice, too."

Seifer nodded, "Thanks. Well, let's get going. There's some Italian restaurant in Balamb I thought you might like, if that's all right with you.."

She nodded, "Sure, that sounds yummy. Let's go." Seifer stepped out of the way, and she stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her. She prayed she wouldn't run into Squall on their way to the exit. Seifer looked down at her and smiled, offering his arm to her. She looked at it, then up at him hesitantly, but decided to take it, anyway. The two walked to the entrance of the Garden with many underclassmen staring at them. Selphie felt a little embarrassed, but Seifer looked almost triumphant. For a moment, she felt like he was parading her around as if she was some trophy, but she shook the thought away from her mind. They made their way to the walkway outside the Garden and, after walking a ways, they entered Balamb.

"So…where is this place?" Selphie asked, looking up at Seifer, who was practically grinning.

He looked down at her, "Oh, it's over here." He lead to her to a restaurant and they walked inside. A waitress greeted them and lead them to a table near the back. Selphie looked around the place, her eyes slightly wide. She sat down, followed by Seifer across from her. The waitress left them menus and Selphie looked at Seifer, "This place looks really expensive…"

"Oh, because it is. It's the top restaurant in Balamb," he replied.

"You didn't have to take me here…we could have gone somewhere cheaper," said Selphie, almost earnestly.

"Hey, I told you I was going to make this night good, so just enjoy it. I have the money, so order whatever you want," he told her with a big smile.

She nodded, "Well, okay, if you say so…" She picked up her menu and scanned the prices, her eyes widening, 'Whoa, this is even more expensive than I thought.'

Seifer noticed and sighed, "Selphie…order what you want, and stop looking at the damn prices."

Selphie bit her lip, "Sorry…" She didn't like being told what to do by him, but after he was so mean to her the other day, he was a little intimidating.

Seifer realized his tone was slightly condescending and he reached over, putting his hand over hers, "No, I'm sorry. I didn't meant to say it like that."

Selphie looked down at her hand, which was now covered by his, "It's, um, it's okay." She couldn't help but also feel incredibly nervous around him. This was pretty much her first date, ever. Sure, she had 'kind of' dated Irvine, but whenever they went somewhere, he was always too busy staring at all the other girls in the restaurant, so it was hard for her to consider those dates.

Seifer noticed her nervousness and smirked to himself, 'Wow, she's this nervous already…this must really be her first time.' He left his hand there for a moment longer, then returned it, careful to let his fingers lightly touch her hand before letting go entirely. It sent a shiver down Selphie's spine, and she bit her lip again. 'Did he do that on purpose?'

The waiter came back, and the two ordered. Selphie leaned back in her chair slightly, carefully watching Seifer. "So…uh, how's that Festival thing coming along?" asked Seifer to break the silence.

"Oh, it's great. We're almost ready for it actually. It's supposed to be in a few days. Just need to finish a few things. Hey, would you like to help out with it? We need some more people!" said Selphie with a smile.

Seifer's eyes widened for a moment. He really didn't want to help out, but her cheery smile was really hard to resist. He simply said, "Okay."

"Really? Great! Just come by whenever you have free time," Selphie said excitedly, she was practically bouncing in her seat.

"O-okay, right. I will…calm down," Seifer said.

"Oh," Selphie's cheeks started to turn red, "Sorry…I get too excited sometimes."

"Nah, it's cute, actually," Seifer smiled wide at her, which only made Selphie blush more.

"Thanks," she said quietly and looked at the ground until she felt the hotness in her cheeks disappear.

The food arrived after a few minutes and Selphie smiled, "Smells really good."

"Yeah," he said and began eating. Selphie watched him for a moment, then began eating as well. "Wow, this is really yummy," she said in between bites. Seifer didn't say anything and continued eating.

When they were done eating, Seifer paid for their meals, mumbling under his breath about how damn expensive the food was. Selphie didn't notice as she stood up and straightened her dress, then pushed her chair in. Seifer walked to her, offering his arm to her. She was less hesitant to take it this time. They walked out of the restaurant, and he looked down at her, "How did you like that?"

She looked up at him and smiled, "It was nice…thanks for taking me and all."

"You don't have to thank me." He looked around, "Want to walk around the dock area? I hear it's a really nice spot at night…"

She couldn't help but raise her eyebrow slightly, "Sure, that sounds okay, I guess."

He nodded and grinned to himself as he lead her to the dock area. He was right, though, it was a very pretty spot at night. The stars shone brightly overhead and the water gently crashing against the docks made the place seem tranquil. She looked up at the night sky and smiled to herself. It had been a long time she saw the stars. Seifer had let go of her arm and stood in front of her. She looked surprised when she saw him in front of her suddenly. "See? I told you it was really nice here." She nodded, looking up at him curiously. "Yes…so, um, what now?" she asked, her voice sounded a lot more innocent than she had intended, but she really was unsure of everything at the moment.

"Well, how about this," Seifer said, then cupped his hand against her cheek. Selphie watched him innocently, but she knew what he was doing, and she didn't try to stop him. He bent down slightly and pressed his lips against hers gently. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips against her own and paused, then she kissed him back. Seifer drew back and looked down at her, smiling wide.

Selphie opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him, "That was--"

"Nice, huh?" he smiled down at her, putting his hands on the back of her shoulders. He pulled her closer to him without any protest from Selphie. He leaned down and kissed her again, this time with a little more force and for longer. She kissed him back willingly, trying to find a place to put her hands. She slowly moved her arms and put them on his back softly. 'I think she's getting it,' Seifer thought to himself as he deepened the kiss. The two continued to kiss for a couple minutes longer, although, to Selphie, it felt as though they had been kissing for hours. She felt a blush come into her cheeks as she looked up at Seifer, "Well…that was very nice," she said quietly.

He smiled down at her again, "Sure was." He let go of her and leaned his arm down, taking her hand in his. "Let's go back to the Garden. I can make you some…hot chocolate or something back in my room," he suggested, although he was thinking of other things they could do in his room.

She looked up at him, "Well, all right. I'll have a cup, then I'll go back to my room because I'm getting a little tired. It's been a long couple of days, you know."

He nodded, "Yeah, I know. Well, let's get going before you pass out on me." He grinned at her and she smiled a little. He linked his fingers with hers and lead her out of Balamb to the Garden. Seifer was walking a little too quickly, and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrow at him. They finally reached his door and Seifer let go of her hand, opening the door. Selphie stepped inside and glanced around, although she had been in it one other time. "Take a seat," he told her. She nodded and sat down on the edge of his bed. He watched her and wondered in his mind if she actually wanted to do the same things he was thinking of. He doubted it though. He sat down next to her and smiled.

"Hot chocolate?" Selphie reminded him.

"Oh, right.." Seifer sighed inwardly and stood up. He went into his bathroom and filled the coffee pot with water, then set it back to heat up. He walked back in, sitting down quite close to her again, "The water's heating up. It should be only a few minutes." Selphie nodded as she looked over at him. He reached over and put his hand over hers again, "If you don't mind, I thought I'd steal a couple more kisses before we have hot chocolate." He smiled at her.

She glanced down, then looked back to him, smiling a little, "Oh…sure." Seifer smiled more and moved his other hand to cup her cheek again as he brought his face close to hers. Their lips met again and they began kissing. 'This seems like more than a couple,' Selphie thought to herself as she continued to kiss Seifer. Seifer moved his hand from over hers and moved it lightly up her arm, barely touching her skin with his fingertips. She felt another shiver run down her spine and her hands moved to his sides. Seifer adjusted his body as he never broke the kiss, his hand now on Selphie's shoulder. He gently started to move forward, which forced Selphie's weight backwards. She felt herself suddenly lying back on the softness of the bed with Seifer on top of her. It had happened so fast, she barely realized it. Seifer finally broke the kiss, proud of himself that he had gotten this far with her already. He began to trail his kisses down to her neck. Selphie reflexively leaned her head back, closing her eyes. Her hands gently moved to Seifer's back, and she massaged it softly. His hand that was on her shoulder, felt the strap of her dress, and he took it in between his fingers, starting to slowly slip it off of her shoulder.

Selphie's eyes suddenly shot open, and she looked down at him, "Seifer, what are you doing?"

He looked up at her and stopped kissing her neck, "Trying to loosen you up a bit, Selphie," he smirked to himself at his own pun, 'Well, I was planning on it, anyway,' he thought to himself. "You just have to relax because you seem so nervous."

"I can't relax when you're trying to take my clothes off!" Selphie said forcefully.

"Hey, I thought this was what you wanted. You didn't seem upset with me on top of you and kissing you, so I thought it would be fine. You've practically been asking for it all night," he said with another smirk.

"What?! Well, it's not fine and I have not been asking for it all night!" With all her force she pushed him off of her and got up from the bed, pushing her strap back up onto her shoulder.

Seifer laughed, "I think you have if you let me get that far in one date already. Man, you're pretty fast. I wonder what would have happened if we had ordered wine at that restaurant."

Selphie glared at him, "You know I've never done anything before, so I was overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. How was I supposed to know you were going to try and have sex with me or something!"

"Baby, that's just what guys do. All of 'em do. I can't believe Irvine never tried with you."

"He tried, but I never let him. And that's none of your business, anyway. A-and don't call me 'baby'," Selphie said, narrowing her eyes at him. She was beyond angry at this point. She didn't even know what to think anymore. All guys are like this? Was that true? Was that why she never had any luck? Because she wasn't 'easy'? How could a guy just treat a girl like an object and use her like that? She clenched her fist and walked over to Seifer. She hit him so hard that he hit his head against the wall. She sent him a glare, "I can't believe I actually tried to have hope in you, Seifer." She was practically shaking she was so angry, "Did you even like me?"

"Sure, you're pretty damn hot, that's for sure," he said, rubbing his jaw.

She sighed loudly, "And of course, you're thinking with what's in your pants, so that's all you like about me. I can't believe I didn't see it before…Squall was right."

"Sure he was. You should learn to listen to your Commander, although, good luck with having a relationship with him. I heard he doesn't give a girl anything pleasure-wise. You would've been happier with me, Selphie. I can give you lots of fun, you know," he said with a grin.

She glared at him again and shouted, "You're a pig, Seifer!"

"A pig you made out with for a long time. And I can't believe you fell for the hot chocolate thing! You must have known this wasn't about hot chocolate. This was never about it or the restaurant. You really are dense, Selphie," he laughed loudly. Selphie turned and walked out of his room, slamming his door behind her, although she could still hear him laughing inside the room.

She ran towards her room quickly. She was so angry, but upset with herself and with him. She had let him use her again, just for his own amusement. But, she wouldn't let him hear her cry. As she ran, she tripped once because she wasn't used to running in her heeled shoes, although she would have most likely tripped anyway. Selphie never was very graceful. As she felt the cold ground underneath her hands, she could already feel the tears trickling down her cheeks. "I'm just a fool…" she mumbled to herself as she started to get up. Instead, she felt someone else's hand in hers, helping her to her feet.

"You're not a fool, Selphie."

--To Be Continued--

Stay tuned for the next chapter! And thank you to everyone who reads!


	8. Drift on a Dream

Title: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl

Chapter 8: Drift on a Dream

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters.

From inside his room, Seifer wiped his eyes as he finished laughing to himself, 'Wow, that was so damn amusing.' He rubbed his jaw, 'She's got some power in that fist, though.' He laid back on his bed and put his hands behind his head, 'I wonder what would have happened if she wouldn't have protested. She's energetic…so I'm sure it would've been fun. Hmm…maybe I moved too fast.' He sighed to himself, 'Nothin' I can do about it now…God, I hope she's not crying. I hate making girls cry…It makes everything harder. I hate feeling like shit just because I made a girl cry…'

---

"You're not a fool, Selphie."

Selphie's eyes scanned up the figure who had helped her up until she met the concerned eyes of Squall. He gently let go of her hand and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"Then…how come I feel like this..?" she asked him as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks, smearing her make-up.

"Because…you didn't listen to what other people said, probably. Or you knew inside that he wasn't any good, but didn't even listen to your instincts…something like that," he told her.

She nodded silently. "Come on, your room is right here," Squall said and opened the door to her room, letting go of her shoulders. Selphie lowered her head and entered her room, slumping down on her bed. Squall quietly shut the door behind him and pulled her chair out from under her desk, setting it in front of her and sat down, facing her. Selphie stared towards the ground, sniffling softly. Squall reached behind him and grabbed a box of tissues. He set it down next to her. Selphie reached over and took one, wiping her cheeks, only it didn't matter because the tears kept flowing. Squall watched her with a frown, furrowing his eyebrows. "Selphie….you shouldn't beat yourself up over this," he told her quietly.

"I-I know…I just feel so stupid. I fell for it, when I knew I shouldn't have.."

"Maybe you should talk to him about it," he suggested, although he didn't want her going anywhere near Seifer," Don't let him get away with it…"

"But…I don't know if I can. Talk to him, I mean. It hurts…a lot. But, I hit him back in the room. I don't think it did much good, though," she said dejectedly.

"You should try at least…I'm sure you can do whatever you put your mind to. You usually do…"

"I guess…I just can't believe what I let him almost--"

"Wait, what did he try to do?" Squall asked sternly, interrupting her.

"Well, he took me to his room a-and he tried to do stuff that I really wasn't ready for…not after one date, anyway."

Squall clenched his jaw, "That piece of shit. I should beat the living hell out of him. I can't believe he tried to take advantage of you like that."

Selphie reached up and wiped her eyes with her hand, "I know…I can't believe I let him almost…" she shook her head, "I don't understand this…why would anyone do that?" She looked at Squall, "Are all guys like this? Would you do that to someone?"

He looked hard at her, "Of course not. What…do you think I am?"

She put her face in her hands, "No…I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, Squall. I don't know what I'm thinking right now. It's just…Seifer said all guys are like him in that way. And well…" She looked back to him, "I haven't had a lot of…experience, I guess you could say, so I just don't really know."

"I see," he said, nodding a little. "…Not all guys are like that. I would never do that to someone…especially not someone like you."

She tilted her head slightly, wiping her eyes again, "What do you mean?"

"I…" he began, "Well, you're too nice of a person to be used like that. I mean, this made you really upset, right?" She nodded. "Yeah…and I don't like seeing you upset because you're my friend, Selphie. When you're not happy, something isn't right…" He didn't really know what he was trying to say. He was never one for consoling upset people, even his friends. He wasn't too sure as to why this was any different. He scratched his head for a moment. Selphie watched him intently. She had never heard Squall speak like this. "I can't help but feel….sadder when you're not happy. You seem to help me feel…less depressed all the time, if you know what I mean." She felt a small smile forming on her lips as she listened to him. She never knew her usual demeanor actually affected anyone, it was just how she normally was. She never knew it had such an impact on Squall. "And…your smile is always helpful. So, with you being sad lately, I think it's hard for everyone…We need you to smile…"

Selphie's smile was fuller now, "Thank you, Squall….I didn't know that I had such an impact on your feelings." He nodded, feeling a little embarrassed for having said so much. She then realized how her make-up had mostly washed away and had stained her cheeks, but she barely realized she had stopped crying. She reached up and covered her cheeks, "I probably look horrible right now after crying so much."

"Actually, when I first saw you, I was going to tell you how…beautiful you looked," he said, almost inaudibly.

She smiled at him, 'That was the word I was looking for,' she thought to herself as she lowered her hands, "Thank you, once again. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but I really do mean all the 'thank you's."

"I know, Selphie," he said, "I can tell…" Her smile remained, until she yawned quietly. Squall stood up, "I'll let you get some rest, now. I'm sure you're tired."

"Yeah, I am. Really really tired to be exact," she bent down and took her shoes off, then scooted herself backwards, laying down onto her bed. Squall was heading for the door, when she paused and looked at him, "Squall?"

He stopped and turned his head to look at her, "Yeah…?"

"Um," she started, biting her lip for a moment, "Could you maybe…stay in here tonight? I don't know…I just don't want to be alone, even if I'm sleeping."

He nodded and walked back over to the chair, taking off his jacket and draping it over the chair. He looked at the hard uncomfortable looking chair, "This looks fun for sleeping…" he said to himself.

"Actually…" she said as he turned to look at her, "Could you stay here…?" she touched the bed beside her. He paused. She suddenly felt tears brimming her eyes again. She didn't even know why, she just had an overwhelming feeling as though she were alone. She needed someone next to her. She needed to feel someone she trusted and cared for by her side. She wiped her eyes quickly and looked at him, "Could you just…hold me while I sleep..?"

Squall didn't say anything. He moved to the bed as Selphie scooted over closer to the wall. He sat down, then moved his body down so his head was leaning against the wall above Selphie's pillows. She watched him and then moved over, letting her head rest against his chest. He looked down at her and brought his arm around her, resting his hand carefully on her side. She curled her arms into herself and closed her eyes. She smiled a little, then let reality drift away as she felt safe in his arms. Sleep took her and Squall watched her. He leaned his head down and gently placed a kiss against her head. He felt a small smile forming on his lips as he watched her sleep quietly. He closed his eyes after a while and drifted into a dream.

--To Be Continued--

Thanks for reading. More to come! 


	9. Damage

**Title**: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl 

**Chapter 9**: Damage

**Rating:** PG-13

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters

* * *

Seifer's jaw was swollen. He rubbed it slowly as he walked into the cafeteria, 'Guess it was well-deserved.' He looked around, not seeing the cheery, bouncy girl anywhere. She was usually in the cafeteria eating with Quistis and Zell, but he only saw them.

Zell saw the lump on his face and snickered, "Did you run into a door?"

"Go to hell, chicken-wuss," Seifer roared back. He slumped down into a chair. He wondered how Selphie was doing. He knew she was upset when she left his room, he just wondered how bad it was. 'Maybe I should go talk to her… I just wanted to have some fun.' He sighed to himself, 'Why do girls have to take everything so goddamn seriously?'

* * *

Selphie stomped down the hallway as she made her way to the cafeteria. She wasn't feeling upset anymore, just overwhelmingly angry. She hated to leave Squall all alone after everything he did for her last night, but she was feeling courageous and wanted to do something now. She stopped in the doorway and saw Seifer dazing out. Her eyes narrowed as she clenched her fists.

She walked across the room, passing Quistis and Zell, "Hey, Selphie, we saved you a seat," Zell called, but she did not seem to hear him as she made her way towards Seifer. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Quistis, "This can't be good." She shook her head as she turned around to watch.

The small shadow of Selphie appeared over Seifer. She swallowed hard and sent a hard kick into Seifer's shin. He immediately snapped out of his daze and yelled, "OW! What the--" He looked up and saw Selphie. 'Oh, shit,' he thought.

"You think you can just treat me like that, Seifer?" Selphie yelled as she kicked him in the other leg. "Girls are not toys and I know you've probably done the same thing you did to me to a bunch of other girls here." She crossed her arms as a few girls in the room looked over, "Well, it's going to stop right here. You are an asshole and you deserve whatever you get for using me and other girls like that!"

Seifer was speechless. He hadn't expected this. Zell burst out laughing for a moment, but Quistis elbowed him in the side, "Be quiet, Zell, this is serious." He frowned a little and covered his mouth with his hand to stop another outburst.

* * *

Squall opened his eyes slowly, a small smile still on his face. He suddenly noticed that he was alone in the room, and his side that Selphie was laying against was no longer warm. He furrowed his eyebrows and sat up slowly. 'Maybe she's in the bathroom…' He looked around and did not hear anything but his own breathing within the room. He sighed loudly and got up, "You're welcome..." He walked out of the room, almost slamming the door behind him.

"Why do I even bother…?" he said to himself as he walked towards the exit of the dorms.

* * *

Selphie slapped Seifer across the face and made her way to leave. He stood up violently and ran after her, putting his hands on her arms tightly and spinning her around. "You know, I was going to apologize, but now that you've publicly humiliated me, I don't give a shit what I did to you. You're just a whiny little girl that needs to be taken care of by her mommy and you're definitely not mature enough to do anything with me or any guy or be in any sort of mature adult relationship. Why don't you go back to the orphanage for a while? I'm sure the kids could use a playmate since you act like you're five years old all the time, anyway."

Selphie's mouth hung open for a moment, then she shook her head, "I didn't do anything wrong here, Seifer. You're the person at fault for all this and no matter what you say, it's not going to hurt me. I still have people that care about me, but you seem to have nothing." Seifer glared down at her as she continued, "I hope you know though, that after this, no girl is going to dream of ever dating you. I'm pretty sure everyone knows how much of an asshole you are by now. How many girls have you gone through in the garden?" She rolled her eyes slightly, "And you know, I don't care if you apologize either, but some of the other girls might, so maybe you should think about getting yourself together because most of these girls are intelligent and all you're doing is taking advantage of them. Now, let me go," she pulled her arm away and walked out of the cafeteria. Some of the girls in the back clapped.

This time Seifer did not go after her. Zell uncovered his mouth and let his laughter out. Quistis rolled her eyes slightly, then smiled a little, "Good for her…at least someone came right out and said it. I wonder what happened last night though."

Seifer stared at the entrance to the cafeteria fuming. He felt his fists clench. He wanted to do something, but he couldn't hit a girl. He could get her back in a different way though. He just had to figure out how.

* * *

Selphie wiped her forehead, 'That was one of the scariest things I have ever done.' She smiled to herself, 'But, I feel better now that I did it.' She felt the skip in her step come back as she walked to the dorms. She saw Squall coming out from the dorms and smiled wide, "Squall!"

Squall looked up and saw her. He looked down again and briskly walked past her towards the cafeteria. Selphie turned around and watched him, furrowing her eyebrows, 'Did I do something wrong?'

* * *

'What is she so happy about?' Squall wondered as he went into the cafeteria, not noticing Seifer, and sat in a chair at Quistis and Zell's table.

"Oh man! Squall, you missed it! It was so great!" Zell said.

"Missed what…?" Squall asked, looking uninterested.

"Selphie came in her and beat the crap out of Seifer and told him off in front of everyone!"

"She didn't really 'beat the crap' out of him. She kicked him a couple times and slapped him once," Quistis corrected. "But, the telling off was quite impressive."

"Impressive? It was amazing!" Zell exclaimed.

"Oh…" Squall said, "That's…nice."

"'That's nice'? Is that all you have to say?" asked Zell with wide eyes.

"Yeah…what am I supposed to say?" Squall replied.

Zell sighed as he fell back in his chair, "You're hopeless!"

'So, that's what she was so happy about,' Squall thought.

"I really wonder what happened last night to spark that outburst though," said Quistis.

"He probably tricked her into a date and tried to do her in his room or something." Quistis made a face, "Way to put it bluntly."

Seifer came over and glared at all of them, "Just shut the hell up about the whole thing already."

"Why? Did a girl make you upset? Oh, boo-hoo! Poor little Seifer!" Zell said and laughed.

Seifer slammed his hand on the table, which thundered throughout the room, "It is not that at all, chicken-wuss, and if I hear one more thing out of you, I will make you wish you never met me."

"I already wish I never met you," Zell said quietly, snickering a little to himself.

Squall didn't look up. He wanted to do something to Seifer because he was still angry about what he did to Selphie. But, he realized enough damage had been done for the day. He got up. "Whoa, where are you going, Commander?" sneered Seifer.

"Away from you."

"Oh, how sad, why is that?" Seifer said.

"Because if I stay near you any longer, I'll put your head through a wall," Squall turned and walked towards the exit of the cafeteria.

Seifer let out a laugh, "Fine, fine, go find your little messenger girl, I'm sure she misses you. Good luck trying to get any, though."

Quistis rolled her eyes and got up as well, "Give it a rest, Seifer." Zell nodded and they followed after Squall.

Seifer watched them and grinned to himself, 'Fine, you can all leave, but I think I just thought of the perfect thing to get back at Selphie…'

* * *

Selphie sat on a bench in the Quad, watching as people painted some things for the Garden Festival. She sighed to herself, pushing a stand of hair out of her face.

"I hear you beat the crap out of Seifer earlier…" Squall said quietly as he sat down next to her.

She looked over at him and smiled, "Well, kinda. The telling off part was more fun."

"I bet…" he said, looking forward.

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, "Look, Squall, I'm sorry I just left you there this morning, but…I just had to do it when I felt I could."

"Whatever, Selphie, I'm not looking for an explanation."

She looked down for a moment, then looked at him sternly, "You're so stupid sometimes, Squall."

Squall was taken aback by her comment and looked over at her, "I'm what..?"

"You're stupid!"

"What? Have you gone insane…?"

"You do realize that I could not have done what I did today without your help last night, right?"

"Well…no," he said quietly.

She sighed a little, "Squall, you helped me not to completely fall apart…you gave me strength. If it wasn't for you, I would probably be in my room moping for the next week or two."

"Oh…"

"You know, I don't know how you felt about last night, but to me--"

"Amazing."

Selphie paused and tilted her head slightly, "Squall…?"

"It was an amazing night…one of the best." He shook head, "I feel like a such a jerk," he said, under his breath. "I know it may not mean that much to you--"

"Squall, believe me, it did."

"Yeah, you say it, but…you were with Seifer because you liked him, I just happened to be there as your friend, nothing more. But, just watching you sleep and holding you--" he shook his head again. "I wouldn't think it would mean that much to you since you were just sleeping."

"I just told you it did. I meant way more than you even realize," she reached over and put her hand gently on his. He looked down for a moment, then at her. She smiled and knew that he was always the right person for her. She had no idea what she even saw in Seifer in the first place. She just wanted to be by Squall's side always.

"What does this mean…?" he asked her.

"I don't really know, but I do know that you care about me from what you did last night …and I care about you."

He nodded, "I do…"

"But, for now, it doesn't really have to mean anything. No pressure," she said with a smile. He put his hand over hers and squeezed it softly. She felt a new feeling of warmth and happiness flow through her all at once.

She looked at him, wanting so badly to tell him the feelings she had for him for so long, "Squall, I--"

"Selphie Tilmitt." The voice of a Garden Master suddenly sounded through the quad. The two immediately let go of each other's hands.

She stood up straight and saluted, "Here."

The Garden Master moved over to her, handing her a slip of paper, "You are to report to the Headmaster's office at once. A fellow student reported that you assaulted him. You must speak to the Headmaster on the grounds of possible expulsion."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Well, that chapter took a while to get up because school took over my life the past few months. Sorry about that, everyone! I have time now though, so look for more chapters! Thanks for reading!


	10. Coming Closer

**Title**: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl

**Chapter 10**: Coming Closer

**Rating**: PG-13

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own any of the FFVIII Characters.

* * *

"Expulsion?" Selphie exclaimed with wide eyes. 

Squall's eyes also grew wide, "That can't be…"

"I did not assault him! I was defending myself from what happened last night!" Selphie shouted.

"Explain it to Headmaster Cid. That is all," the Garden Master told her and exited the Quad.

Squall looked down at Selphie and saw that all the color had drained out of her face. He put a hand on her shoulder. She looked downward, "Expelled…? I can't get expelled," she said under her breath.

"Just go to Cid and explain everything," he told her calmly, but inside he was fuming with anger towards Seifer. This was his revenge? To just get rid of Selphie? Sure, he was on the Disciplinary Committee, but that gave him no right to make such a claim. How can anyone even believe that such a tiny girl 'assaulted' him. But, violence outside of monster fighting was prohibited in the Garden, so it was plausible.

Selphie looked up and nodded slowly. "I'll go…" She felt as if a weight had fallen on her. She slowly walked towards the exit of the Quad and to the elevator. The walk seemed longer than any she had taken before. She felt nauseous as she pressed the button for the third floor. How could Seifer do this to her? Hadn't he done enough damage already? She didn't think what she did barely compared to what he did to her. She saw the doors open and felt all the air go out of her. She walked into the office, "Selphie Tilmitt…reporting," her voice was quiet and meek.

"Ah, good afternoon, Ms. Tilmitt," Cid said, "Take a seat."

* * *

Selphie walked out of the elevator on the first floor a couple hours later. Seifer was standing near the directory and saw her. He waved to her, giving her a wide smile, "So sorry to see you go." She ignored him and walked towards the Cafeteria, knowing it was dinner time. She wasn't feeling hungry, but she knew the people she would want to talk to would be there. 

She walked in and saw Zell motioning to her, sitting with Squall. She walked to their table and sat down. Squall was looking a lot more depressed than usual, but heard the squeak of her boots, so he looked up. He met her eyes, looking concerned, "How'd it go…?" He saw the sadness in her eyes and could see tears just waiting for a chance to fall from her eyes.

"I-I can stay," she said softly.

Squall paused for a moment. She had said the exact opposite of what he thought she would say from her expression, "Great!" he said happily. Zell raised an eyebrow at his outburst.

"Then, why the pouty face, Selph?" asked Zell.

Selphie sniffled softly, "I…I don't get to be in charge of the Garden Festival anymore." The tears waiting to fall poured out quickly, and she put her face in her hands as she cried.

The two watched her for a moment. They all thought it was a weird reason to be upset and thought she should be grateful to not be expelled. But, they knew her better than that. The Garden Festival was her pride and joy of the Garden.

Squall reached over and put a comforting hand on her back, "I'm sorry, Selphie," he said quietly.

"But, you can still work on it right? You just can't be in charge?" Zell asked. She shook her head slowly, her hands still covering her face. "Oh...that really sucks, Selph. I'm sorry."

She wiped her cheeks before removing her hands and leaned back in her chair. "I hate him…" she mumbled to herself.

"Join the club," Zell said. He then sniffed the air as he saw the food being brought out. "Sweet! Fresh hot dogs! I'll be back." He got up and ran over, just as twenty people rushed in front of him. He sighed loudly and got in the back of the line.

Squall watched him, "At least he doesn't give up with that."

Selphie nodded slowly and sighed. Squall watched her with a frown. Seeing her so upset like this was upsetting him. He wanted to do something to help her. But, he really wanted to do something to Seifer for putting her through such misery. He reached into his pocket and handed Selphie a tissue. She looked at him and smiled slightly, "Thanks." She wiped her eyes, then looked at him, "Why are you so nice to me all the time now?"

Squall paused. He hadn't expected that question, "Uh…because you've been upset lately. And you're my friend…so, I don't want to see you hurt..." He scratched his head for a moment, "Didn't we already have this conversation…?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Probably…everything is just so jumbled together right now. I just want to be happy again…I hate feeling this way."

"I hate you feeling this way, too…" Squall told her quietly.

She stood up, "Thanks…I just hope it goes away soon somehow." She brushed some of her hair out of her face, glancing around the room.

"Where are you going…?" he asked, watching her.

"Back to my room. This day feels like it's been so long, you know?"

She bent down suddenly and hugged him, "Thank you so much, Squall." She sniffled softly again, but when she was about to let go, he put his arms around her and held her tightly for a moment. He then let her go, and she looked down to hide the redness coming into her cheeks as she walked away from him and to the door.

"You're welcome…" he said under his breath as he watched her go.

* * *

Squall walked into the Quad as he watched some of the students painting banners and putting things together for the Festival. He approached one of the underclassmen, "Excuse me…when is the Festival?"

The student looked terrified to be speaking to Commander Leonhart, "I-it's on Friday, S-sir."

Squall didn't seem to notice, "Friday…so that leaves us tomorrow to set up for it."

"U-us?"

"Yes…attention, everyone, the head of the Garden Festival Committee has been…" he shook his head, "She is ill…so I will be taking over for her for the remainder of the time." All of the students looked confused and said things to each other such as, "I bet she really got expelled" and "Why is he the one in charge now?" Squall chose to ignore the comments as he went to help with various things around the Quad.

Zell walked in a while later and saw Squall actually helping someone. His jaw dropped, and he walked over to him, "Squall, man, are you feeling okay?"

Squall turned around and looked at Zell, "Yeah…why?"

"Well…you're, uh, doing this," Zell motioned to everything around the Quad.

Squall crossed his arms, "So? I'm the Commander…I need to be involved in everything."

Zell raised an eyebrow, "Since when?"

"Since…" Squall paused, then sighed, "Look, I know how upset she was and I want to make the festival perfect for her..."

"For who—Oh! For Selphie," Zell grinned, "I get it now! Suddenly it all becomes clear!"

Squall rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms, "It's nothing. Really. Just…don't tell her. Is that clear?"

Zell nodded, "Sure, sure, I won't say a word. My lips are sealed."

"Good…keep it that way. But, make sure she at least comes to festival. She'll need to get out of her room by then."

"Why don't you, you know, go comfort her? Eh? Eh?" Zell wiggled his eyebrows at Squall.

Squall rolled his eyes again, "Leave me alone." He turned away and started working again.

Zell made his way to the door, "Have fun and I'll make sure she comes, don't worry! Just leave it to me!"

Squall looked in his direction, "Don't tell her what I'm doing…"

"Okay, okay! Calm down, Commander!" Zell yelled as he left the Quad.

Squall sighed to himself and continued working, 'I hope she enjoys it… I miss that smile on her face.'

* * *

Friday came quickly, but Squall had managed to get everything set up on time. He didn't understand how Selphie did it everyday. The past two days worrying about it had worn him out. The girl must have infinite energy. He looked at the clock, the festival would start soon. He hadn't seen Selphie for the past two days and knew she was up in her room, most likely moping. He wanted to save her from that like she said he did the other day, but he was too busy. He regretted not seeing her, but knew that he had made everything perfect for her with the festival. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face. He felt a small smile appear on his face as he pictured her. He quickly shook his head as he realized he needed to get changed. He rushed to his room to change.

* * *

Zell approached Selphie's door with the festival only an hour away. He knocked on it and heard a small voice from inside ask, "Who is it?" 

"Yo, Selph, it's Zell," he called on the other side of the door.

"Come in, it's open," she replied. He opened the door and stepped into her room to see her sitting on her bed in a field of tissues. He furrowed his eyebrows, "Wow…you must have taken that pretty hard."

She nodded, "Yeah, well, it wasn't just that. Everything from the past few days just sorta built up on me and I had to have wallow time."

"I get it, but you should really come to the festival tonight. I mean, you did basically everything up to the past couple days, you gotta come to enjoy it!"

"I know, I'm going to go. I love the festival…I just hope it's not how I left it the other day…"

Zell shook his head, "Nope! Someone took it over for ya."

She tilted her head, "Oh, really? Who?"

"Oh…just some person on your committee, I don't know their name."

She nodded, "Good…I hope they did a good job." She really wanted to be the one to put all the finishing touches on the festival, but it couldn't be helped. She stood up and picked up the numerous tissues, putting them in the trash can. "I'm going to shower and get ready. I'll see you down there, 'kay?"

Zell grinned, "Great! Everyone will be glad to see you!" He turned and left her room.

She sighed to herself as she finished cleaning up her room. She then walked to the shower and started getting ready for the festival.

* * *

Squall stood against the wall as he watched everyone enter. He had his eye out for the cheery, green-eyed girl, but so far, he hadn't seen her. Zell came in at the end of a crowd of people and walked over to Squall, "S'up, Squall?" 

"Did you tell her to come?" Squall asked quickly.

Zell nodded, "Yeah, she said she was planning on coming, anyway."

"Oh…well, good. Now--"

"Yeah, I get it. Leave you alone. See ya!" He walked away from Squall and over to the refreshments, scanning the crowd.

After the longest twenty minutes of Squall's life, a familiar face complete with the flipped out hairstyle walked into the Quad. The girl's eyes still were red rimmed with crying, but the make-up hid it well. Squall watched her look around and saw her mouth drop open in surprise. He then noticed how beautiful she looked in her yellow sleeveless tank-top and short brown skirt, complete with her regular brown boots. (Earlier in the day she decided she wouldn't ever wear heels again. They were hazardous to her walking.)

He walked over to her slowly. She was still looking around in awe, "Hey, Selphie..." he said in a low voice.

She looked up at him, a small smile forming on her face, "Hi, Squall…it's good to see you."

He smiled slightly, "You too…" Someone walked by and gave Squall the thumbs up, while another told him, "Great job!"

She tilted her head as she met his eyes, "What are they talking about?"

"I…uh, I don't know," he said sheepishly.

A few girls then walked by the two. One said, "I didn't think the Commander cared about the festival!" Another said, "I know! But, he did such a great job with it!"

Selphie looked puzzled, and her mouth parted in confusion, "Squall…did you—" She looked around, then back up at him, "Do all this?"

He simply nodded to her, then watched as Selphie's smile grew wider. She closed the few inches between them as she hugged him tightly. "For you…" he said under his breath as he put his arms around her small frame, "I did it for you…" She looked up at him, not knowing what to say. She was overwhelmed with happiness and appreciation and gratefulness and all those other wonderful emotions she hadn't felt in what seemed like so long.

He watched her and felt his slight smile grow into a real one. He had never done anything nice or helpful to anyone, but for some reason, he actually wanted to do it for her. It had taken so much energy out of him, but seeing Selphie happy was payment enough for him. These emotions were so confusing to him; he didn't understand why he did it… He had never done anything like this for Rinoa, and he was with her for a long time…so, why Selphie? They weren't together…so why? He shook his head slightly, then he began to lean his face in closer to hers. He didn't know why, he just instinctively began to.

Selphie watched Squall and began to lean her face close to his as well, her heart beating faster with each passing second. She felt her cheeks become hot and knew she was blushing furiously.

Their faces were barely an inch apart before an annoying voice interrupted them, "Over me, already, Messenger Girl?"

They both let go of each other since the voice startled them as it brought them back to reality. She let out a sigh of annoyance as she looked at the owner of the voice, "Leave me alone," she said quietly. She then noticed he had an innocent girl attached to his arm, looking at him dreamily.

"I guess not everyone heard your little speech," Seifer said with a grin.

Selphie rolled her eyes and turned around to face Squall again, whose fist was ready to beat Seifer to death. "And, say, shouldn't you be packing your bags, Messenger Girl?"

"For your information, I didn't get expelled. So, your little plan failed," Selphie said, still facing away from Seifer.

Seifer's eyes widened, "What? Goddamn, they let anybody stay at this place now."

"Get…away from her," Squall said, his voice full of anger.

"Or you'll do what?"

"Something with my fist and your face…but, then again, I don't want to be expelled." Seifer let out a laugh at Squall's words. He then continued, "That was a real cheap thing to do…you get your pride hurt by a girl, so you try to get her expelled? What the hell is wrong with you!"

"Squall…" Selphie said, nervously, biting her lip, "Don't make it worse…please."

"Well, you see, now she knows not to mess with me. She's afraid of me now and that's always a plus," Seifer grinned.

"What a great thing…a girl you were trying to screw on the first date is afraid of you. That's really making a great claim for yourself, Seifer," Squall replied calmly. The girl on Seifer's arm made a disgusted face and let go of him, walking away quickly.

Seifer watched her and clenched his fist, "Goddammit," he mumbled. "These girls…I swear, so goddamn sensitive." Selphie rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"She was smart to get away now and at least listened," said Squall.

Selphie looked up at Squall, her mouth parting open, "W-wait…" He didn't look down at her for a moment, but when he did, she said, "I-I didn't know what was going to happen…"

Seifer watched them, "Oh, boo-hoo, Selphie. You're just dumb for falling for it…everybody could see it except you apparently. I guess no one really cares for you if they didn't really try to stop you. Maybe they all wanted you to get hurt. And well, you did. You could have gotten some fun out of it, but you're so damn sensitive and have to have everyone care for you and love you just because you love everyone." Selphie looked down. What he and Squall said hurt. She couldn't take much more of this. She was so happy just a few minutes ago. What happened? She didn't want to let words hurt her anymore, but she couldn't help it.

"Will you just give it up already, Seifer?" Squall yelled. "She's been through enough of your shit; no matter if we told her it was going to happen or not. And I care about her more than you'll ever care about anyone in your life, so just leave us all alone!"

Selphie felt dizzy from confusion. First, Squall was about to kiss her, then he practically insults her, now he was defending her again? She put her hand to her forehead, but suddenly felt a force push her to the side, which caused her to fall on the ground on her side. She shook her head and looked up to see Seifer hitting Squall. Zell rushed over and pulled Seifer off him almost instantly, while she stood up, looking horrified. She couldn't take it anymore. She yelled, "Everybody! Just stop! Please!" The three of them, including a few other people in the area looked over at her. She looked at them, "Okay, I made a mistake. You all apparently knew about it. I was stupid to fall for all of his fake stuff, but…when you get really lonely after a while…you can't help but make dumb dating mistakes sometimes. And I thought you liked me, Seifer, but I made a mistake. That's it!" She looked at Squall, who was wiping the blood from the side of his lip, "A-and seeing you with that horrible girl all the time killed me! So…I-I'm not the only stupid one around here making bad dating choices." She then looked back to Seifer, "And you just need to get over this whole thing and leave me alone. Keeping this going and getting back at me and all this other stuff is just pathetic, so stop already!"

She brushed her skirt off and sat down on a bench with an exasperated sigh. Zell looked at Squall, "Guess I missed somethin'…" Squall only nodded and watched Selphie. He felt bad for what he said, especially now that he knew why she had dated Seifer in the first place. She had always liked him, but Seifer was the only one who had shown interest in her since Irvine. How could he not see it before? He thought her crush on him was only recent, but being with Rinoa must have clouded him from seeing it. He smacked his forehead and sighed. He wished she would have just told him in the first place.

Seifer shook his head at Selphie's outburst. 'I'm sick of this shit, anyway, I'll just stay away from her. Makes things less fun, but easier.' He walked away in search of the girl he came with.

Selphie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her head was pounding. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come to the festival. She sure wasn't having any fun. Squall was on his way over to talk to her when Quistis snatched the seat next to Selphie, "Hello, Selphie, are you alright?" she asked, looking concerned. Squall stopped and watched them from afar.

Selphie looked at her and nodded slowly, "Yeah, don't worry, Quisty, I'll be fine."

Quistis smiled a little, "Good…I've been worried. Well, we all have. Especially Squall. He's been in here the past two days working like crazy to get everything perfect. I think he slept maybe two hours."

"Really? Wow…" Selphie bit her lip. She had just yelled at him, even though he had made the festival perfect just for her. She put her face in her hands, "Hyne…I just keep screwing everything up, Quisty."

Quistis put her hand on her shoulder, furrowing her eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

"Well, you know all the stuff that happened with Seifer…and now I feel like I screwed up any sort of possibility I had with Squall," Selphie said, although her voice was muffled.

"I don't think so…Squall doesn't give up easily, and I don't think he would give up on you."

Selphie lifted her head, "Why do you think so?"

Quistis smiled, "Because I can tell…it's my Instructor and womanly intuition, if you know what I mean."

Selphie nodded a little, "I think so… I just don't want to mess up something that could be with the one good guy I know."

"Come on," Quistis urged, "You're the most optimistic person I know, you have to have some kind of hope in this. I have hope for you two."

Selphie smiled a little, "Thanks, Quisty."

Quistis gave her a small hug and then stood up, "I'll see you around later. Just be hopeful, okay?"

She nodded, "I'll try." Quistis smiled to her and walked away.

* * *

Squall waited a few minutes before sitting on the other side of the bench. She looked over at him meekly, feeling suddenly more nervous around him than when he was about to kiss her. She looked down and sighed inwardly. She had no idea what to say to him. She wanted to thank him for doing what he did with the festival and at the same time she wanted to apologize. 

"Squall—"

"I'm sorry, Selphie," He interrupted.

She looked at him and tilted her head, "I'm the one who should be sorry."

He shook his head, "No…I shouldn't have said what I said. I didn't know the whole story…"

"But, you made the festival all perfect for me and I just yelled at you in front of everyone! I am a horrible person! I don't even know why you talk to me because I just mess everything up and make you feel bad!"

He looked at her and moved a little closer, "The only time you make me feel bad is when you're feeling bad."

"But--!" she protested.

He shook his head, "Why do you think I did all this for you…?"

"I don't know…'cause you felt sorry for me or something since I was up moping in my room like I said I would be."

"Now you're the one being stupid, Selphie…do you not remember anything about the other night?" Squall asked, sounding slightly annoyed. His annoyance came from the fact that the night had meant so much to him. To him it seemed like she was disregarding it, although inside, he knew she would never do that.

"Of course I remember it…How could I forget?"

"Well, you're acting like you have no idea why I could possibly do something nice for you," he crossed his arms.

She frowned a little, "I'm sorry, Squall. See? I told you, I mess everything up. And I guess I'm just having problems trusting people, even though I know you're the one person I can always trust…you've been there for me since my first day here."

He uncrossed his arms, turning towards her, "Selphie, I just want you to be happy…" He reached over and put his hand against her cheek softly, feeling it become warm as she blushed. She looked up at him, her green eyes full of confusion. "I just want to see you smile all the time," he told her.

She reached up and put her hand over his, her mouth curving upwards into a smile. She met his eyes, and he smiled a little. "Seeing you smile is so rare…I wish you would do it more, you know," she said, her smile growing.

"To tell you the truth, the only time I ever seem to smile anymore is around you."

* * *

Squall and Selphie spent the rest of the evening together at the festival. They ate together, talked together, avoided Seifer together, and had a good time, which was rare for the two lately. 

Selphie waved to Quistis, giving her a knowing look, then waved to Zell as she left with Squall. He walked with her out of the Quad and into the hallway. He glanced down as he saw her empty hand. He reached down, taking it into his own carefully. Selphie's eyes widened for a moment in surprise as she looked up at Squall. She then smiled, glancing down to try to hide the inevitable blush. He smiled a little as he watched her. He couldn't understand how anyone could possibly do anything mean to her…or use her. She seemed so innocent and her nervousness just made her more attractive to him. For once, he didn't feel pressured to be the perfect date to her. Not that they were dating, he corrected himself. He could just be himself and felt so free with her…and happy.

They got to her room, and she looked up at him, "Well, here's me."

He nodded slowly, "Yeah…"

"I really had a good time, Squall. You made everything so perfect with the festival and I'm really glad. It really means a lot to me."

He nodded again, "I know." He then realized he hadn't let go of her hand yet, instead he squeezed it softly. She glanced down for a moment, then back up into his eyes.

There was no one around to interrupt their perfect moment and this time he was going to take it. He brought his face close to hers slowly as she did the same, leaning up since she was considerably shorter than him. He put his free hand against her cheek and slowly pressed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes, taking in the moment. This kiss was much different than the one she had had with Seifer. His was very forceful, but this kiss seemed so pure and soft. She didn't want it to end, and she kept her lips against his for as long as she could stay on her tip toes. The two slowly pulled back and each felt a warm sensation in their cheeks, but both smiled at each other.

He finally let go of her hand, but used his to pull her into an embrace. She pressed her face against his chest for a moment and felt happy and safe in his arms, the way she did the night he had stayed to comfort her. 'He's the one…' She knew it. But, she didn't want to jump ahead of herself. She had always known, but experiencing it was the best feeling to her.

"Goodnight, Selphie," he said and put a soft kiss on her head, taking in the strawberry scent of her hair.

She smiled and hugged him tightly before letting go. "Goodnight, Squall. I'll see you tomorrow." She reached over and opened her door, not taking her eyes off of him for a moment. She then walked into her room, slowly closing her door, behind her. But, she turned around almost immediately and stared at the door.

Squall watched her door for a moment, smiling to himself. Then, he walked down the hall to his room, putting his hands in his pockets. He went into his room, closing the door behind him. Then, fell back onto his bed, smiling. 'One of the best nights in a while…' He turned on his side and closed his eyes, falling asleep soon after.

'Wow…' Selphie thought as she fell back onto her bed. She pulled the covers over herself, not being able to stop smiling. 'Finally…' She closed her eyes, 'Maybe things are going to finally come together…the night was so great, they have to...' She drifted off to sleep with a small smile still on her face.

* * *

A distant pounding on his door at three in the morning woke Squall up from a peaceful sleep. He opened his eyes halfway and slowly moved to the door. He heard a faint whimpering on the other side that sounded like a girl crying. His immediate thought was that something had happened to Selphie. His eyes widened, and he quickly opened the door. His eyes grew even wider. 

A bawling Rinoa stepped into his room, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck, "Squall! Thank god!"

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Oh, I am just so mean with making complications for everyone when everything gets good. XD Oh well, another chapter is on its way after this one! I hope you are enjoying them!


	11. Fade Away

**Title**: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl

**Chapter 11**: Fade Away

**Rating**: PG-13

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own any of the FFVIII Characters.

* * *

Squall pulled the crying Rinoa off of him, "What do you think you're doing?" he asked out of anger and surprise. 

"C-coming to you for…for comfort," Rinoa said as she continued to cry.

Squall crossed his arms, taking a few steps back, "We broke up, remember?"

"I-I know but, I thought you would still let me in…" she whimpered softly.

"Fine…if I listen to whatever the hell your problem is, will you leave after that?" he asked, sitting on his bed.

She nodded and sat next to him closely. He scooted over a few inches, but she moved close to him again. He sighed inwardly, then said, "What is it…?"

She looked at him with big, tearful eyes, "My father kicked me out…said I was wasting my life away o-or something. He-he wants me to find some kind of job or go back to school. I-I don't know…"

Squall looked at her, feeling annoyed, 'So that's what this big fuss is about?' He shook his head for a moment, "So…you came to me."

"Yeah, I figured you could help me..." Rinoa said, watching him carefully.

He sighed loudly and fell back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, "And how am I supposed to help you? …And why should I? You left in such a dramatic way, yelling at me and everyone. I don't have any obligation to help you."

"Y-you're right! A-and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I just miss you so much and want to be with you again," Rinoa said, turning around to look at him.

He turned on his side to face the wall, "Too bad…I like someone else now."

Her eyes widened, then she laughed slightly, her tears subsiding easily, "Oh, please. Don't tell me it's Selphie."

"Why do you care who it is? So, you can go yell at them?"

She rolled her eyes, "Nevermind, Squall."

"Okay, you're done with my help, so get out. Now."

"But, Squall…I just need a place to stay for the night. I won't bother you at all. I promise," she told him earnestly.

"Fine…but get out of here in the morning," he threw the blanket on his bed onto the floor along with one of his pillows. He knew that making her sleep on the floor was rude of him, but barging into his room in the middle of the night was even ruder. So, he could care less. He closed his eyes and fell asleep within moments.

Rinoa watched him for a moment, then undressed, putting on one of his t-shirts to sleep in. She had done it all the time before, so she didn't think it would be problem now. But…she didn't used to sleep on the floor. She laid on the floor, putting her head on the pillow and pulling the cover over herself. She fell asleep soon afterwards.

* * *

In the morning, a faint knocking could be heard on the other side of Squall's door. Rinoa rubbed her eyes as the sound awoke her from her sleep. She sat up and saw that Squall was still asleep. She got up and went to the door, opening it slowly, "Yeah?" 

Selphie's smile that she was still wearing from the night before instantly fell. She couldn't breathe for a moment as she saw, to her horror, Rinoa standing in the doorway of Squall's room wearing only his shirt. "O-oh…" she said, although it was barely audible as her mouth fell open.

Rinoa raised an eyebrow at Selphie who looked as though she had seen a ghost. She then realized that Selphie was the person Squall liked and seeing her there probably freaked her out. "Do you need something?" Rinoa asked sweetly.

"O-oh…" Selphie repeated. For a moment, she couldn't bring herself to move or speak. She finally closed her mouth and turned on her heels, running down the hallway as quickly as her legs could carry her.

Rinoa shrugged and closed the door behind her. Squall was just waking up and sat up as he moved some hair out of his face, "Who was that…?"

"Selphie, she didn't say anything though, just ran away," Rinoa said as she sat on his bed.

Squall rubbed his eyes and finally saw what she was wearing. His mouth fell open, "Wait, Selphie? And she saw you like that?" Rinoa nodded. "Oh, shit…shit, Rinoa." His eyes widened as he got up from his bed quickly, pulling on his coat.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To go find her…" He looked hard at her, "When I come back, you better be gone…and put your real clothes on for Hyne's sake." He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly as he moved to the door. He opened the door, slamming it behind him.

"Oops," Rinoa said with a smirk. She changed into her regular clothes and freshened up. 'Maybe now he'll see that I'm better than her. If she liked him, she should be the one knocking on his door in the middle of the night…or already in his room,' she shook her head as she headed for the door. 'Well, if he doesn't see it, she sure will, especially from seeing me.' She opened the door and left his room, walking calmly down the hall towards the cafeteria.

* * *

Selphie kept running, she didn't know where she was going, but she was going to find some place to hide for the day. Her room was too easy, so she looked for somewhere else. Her heart was pounding, and she couldn't get the image of Rinoa out of her head. Why was she there? She wasn't here earlier. Selphie didn't understand and didn't want to. She didn't know what she was feeling as she ran. 

Meanwhile, Squall was running around trying to find her. He rushed into the cafeteria, looking around frantically. Zell saw him and said, "Squall? S'up, man?"

"I need to find Selphie," he said quickly.

"Why? Did something happen?" Zell asked.

"Rinoa happened, that's what."

"What?" Zell exclaimed with wide eyes, "You two didn't…" he trailed off.

"No!" Squall yelled, "Of course not. She just barged into my room in the middle of the night whining about something and so I let her stay there so she would shut up."

"Oh…I get it. Does Selphie know about it?"

"Apparently… She came to my door this morning and Rinoa answered it only wearing one of my shirts," he said, putting his hand to his forehead.

"Oh man…so, she probably thinks you two—"

Squall nodded. "I need to find her…"

"Well, I haven't seen her, but good luck with that, man," Zell patted Squall on the shoulder.

Squall nodded and walked towards the door as Rinoa came into the room. He brushed passed her quickly and continued his search for Selphie.

Zell's eyes widened as he saw her, "So…it's true."

"I'm guessing he still hasn't found her, has he?" Rinoa asked innocently.

"Why do you care? You broke up with him," Zell said.

"I just think he is searching for the wrong person…and I still love him, actually, probably more than that insane girl will. So, I am trying to get him to see who is better for him."

"I vote for Selphie."

Rinoa sent him a glare and turned around, dramatically walking out of the cafeteria.

* * *

After a few hours, Rinoa wandered into the Training Center to see if they had changed anything. Monsters still roamed free, and she quickly walked through it to the 'secret area'. "It's still so pretty in here," she said to herself as she walked inside. She went to lean on the wall and look out at the scenery. She then turned around and leaned back against it. She looked around and saw someone huddled in a dark corner. She squinted her eyes and saw that the someone was Selphie. She had to hide the smirk that was about to form on her face as she walked over to her. She knelt down in front of Selphie, who looked as though she was in a daze. 

"Selphie, are you all right?" Rinoa asked, looking concerned.

Selphie didn't look up as she concentrated on something on the ground and in a quiet voice said, "Are…you with Squall again?"

"Well, yeah," Rinoa lied, "He called me last night and desperately wanted to me come over. So, I did and we made up."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, he was telling me how crazy he was for liking some girl around here and really missed me instead."

"Oh…" Selphie repeated as she stared down blankly.

Rinoa watched her, "Oh…Oh my gosh, were you the one he liked?"

Selphie nodded slowly, "I…I thought he liked me."

"Well, I guess not. I mean, would he let me back in his room if he liked you?" Selphie shook her head. "Well, just between us girls, Selphie, he told me he never really liked you. He just felt sorry for you after what Seifer did." Throughout her few hours of being there, she had learned the events of the past few days since most of the girls in the garden enjoyed gossiping.

Selphie swallowed hard. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but somehow thought it was all true. Maybe Squall was just lying to her the whole time. She never understood why he did what he did for her…maybe he just had the same intentions as Seifer.

"You know, he said he was just lonely without me, so he turned to you as an alternative until he could have me again. You should have known he would never go for anyone like you. You're his exact opposite and I'm just his type. That whole 'opposites attract' thing never works out, so you should really just get over him. It'll never work."

Selphie felt as though her body was crumbling to pieces. Everything was happening so fast. Her first chance at something good was slipping away…and it might have been a lie the whole time. She couldn't believe that though. She didn't think the kiss they shared could have felt the way it did if Squall did not feel the same or something for her.

"You know…he was also probably just trying to use you like Seifer was until I came back."

"Please…just go," Selphie said quietly.

Rinoa shrugged, "All right. I just thought you should know the truth." She stood up and walked out of the secret area.

Selphie pulled her knees up to her chest, pressing her face against her legs. She wasn't crying this time, but she was in more pain than anything of the past few days. She couldn't tell if Rinoa was lying or if she was dead serious. Anything was possible.

* * *

Suddenly, heard throughout the Garden, were several crashes against the roof and glass shattering. 

An announcement rang out throughout the Garden, "Attention: All students, the Galbadians are attacking. They want to take control of the Garden and eliminate all SeeD's. I repeat: Galbadians are attacking. Underclassmen report to your designated safety areas and all upperclassmen and SeeD's : eliminate all soldiers."

Squall looked up as he heard the announcement on his way to the Training Center. 'Shit…' He still hadn't found Selphie and the Training Center was the only place he hadn't looked. Luckily, since he was headed for the Training Center, he had his Gunblade with him in case he ran into any monsters on the way. A soldier dropped down in front of him. He sliced through him with ease and continued on his way to the Training Center. He didn't have time for an attack right now, even though he couldn't really plan these things. But, the fate of the world just wasn't important enough to him right now. He had to find Selphie. She was probably confused and possibly hurt by now.

He rushed through, not seeing her yet. 'Right...secret area.' He ran into the secret area, looking around quickly. "Selphie?" he said, and then saw her flipped out hair peeking out from the darkness of the corner she was covered in. He walked over to her carefully, setting his gunblade down for a moment.

She looked up slowly, her face full of pain, but she wasn't crying and he could tell she hadn't been either. She had probably cried herself out the past few days. "I'm sorry, Selphie."

"I…don't care, Squall. If you want to be with her, then be with her. Just stop lying to me," she told him.

"Lying to you…? I would never—"

"I thought I could trust you…you, the one person always there for me. But, I guess it was all just an act. You were just waiting to set me up and make me all happy, then you call her and invite her here! Were you purposefully trying to hurt me?"

"Call her? What? What are you talking about?"

"You called her and invited her here, then you two made up, right?" she asked.

He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, "No…she showed up at my door crying and invited herself inside."

"But, that's not what…"

"Rinoa said?"

Selphie nodded slowly, realizing Rinoa was the one trying to hurt her. Of course. She felt dumb for falling for it in the first place. She knew better than that. She really needed to learn to be less gullible. But, there was still something that was bugging her. She narrowed her eyes at Squall, "Then why was she wearing only your shirt?"

"I…don't know. Really. I woke up, and she was wearing that."

"Why did she stay with you, anyway? You guys aren't together…you could have turned her away."

"Yeah…I guess."

Selphie sighed, looking away again, "I get it."

"Get what?"

"You still…like her," Selphie said with resistance.

Squall looked appalled, "Like her? Rinoa? Are you crazy?"

"No…I mean, it's not crazy to still like her…you guys had a long relationship."

"Yeah…" He shook his head, "I've been over her since she stepped off that train. I don't think we would have worked. She's too dramatic and whiny…and drives me insane."

She nodded, "Not disagreeing with you there," she looked at him, trying to hold back the giggle.

He noticed and let out a small laugh himself. He took her arm and pulled her up so she was standing. "I really am sorry…and I don't even know why I let her stay. It was three in the morning and I was too tired to care." He really felt bad, especially for seeing her in pain and knowing he was the one who caused it. He pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head gently, "I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm going to make this up to you…" She looked up at him, wrapping her arms around him as he stroked her hair softly.

She smiled a little, then looked around, "Well…I think we should get through the day first…didn't I hear something about an attack and eliminate SeeD's… meaning us?"

Squall looked around as well, "Right…we should get to the dorms somehow so you can get your weapon." He let go of her and took her hand, running out of the Training Center quickly, his gunblade in his other hand. She ran with him, looking around as she saw Galbadian soldiers everywhere. 'This is so weird…must be related to the attack at Trabia,' she thought.

Zell was fighting as he saw the two running out of the Training Center and up the walkway. A soldier crashed down behind them, ready to strike, "Behind you!" Zell yelled to them.

Selphie glanced back, her eyes widening as she saw the soldier about to slash through her. "Squall, watch out!" she called as she moved out of the way just as the soldier's sword made a small slash on her side, but kept going forward. 'Phew, close one.' She then felt Squall's hand let go of hers.

She looked forward at Squall, who had stopped walking, then she saw it. She thought Squall had moved out of the way… But, he was standing there with the soldier's sword piecing through his middle. Her mouth dropped open. She had no weapon. She didn't know what to do. Squall dropped his gunblade as he fell forward, and the soldier pulled his sword out of him. The soldier grinned and turned towards her. She looked down at him for a moment, feeling fear and anger. She picked up his gunblade, which was ten times heavier than she thought it would be. The soldier raised his sword ready to do the same to her, when she lifted the heavy gunblade and swung. The soldier was slashed up the middle and fell to the ground, dead. She dropped the gunblade with a clash and fell to her knees beside Squall. She touched his back tentatively, feeling the blood from the wound. "Squall…?" She slowly turned him over onto his back and saw that most of his white shirt was soaked with the blood oozing out of him.

She sucked in her breath at the sight, "Oh no…" She put her hands on his wound to try and stop the bleeding, "Squall…no, please no…" They were in the middle of a battlefield, but Selphie didn't look up from her fallen comrade…and love. He couldn't be hurt. He just couldn't. Not after everything… She felt a sword slash the side of her cheek, but she didn't look up as Zell rushed over to stop the soldier from doing any more damage. She felt the blood falling down her cheeks, which began to mix with silent tears that began to fall as she watched Squall, still applying pressure to the wound.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she saw the slow rise and fall of his chest as the blood continued to pour out of the wound, "Squall…"

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Dun dun dun! Next chapter on its way soon. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your reviews muchly, so thank you to those who have reviewed.


	12. Fell in Love with a Girl

**Title**: A Knight, a Lion, and a Little Messenger Girl 

**Chapter 12:** Fell In Love With a Girl

**Rating**: PG-13

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own any of the FFVIII Characters.

* * *

Zell sent a punch flying towards a soldier, who fell to ground unconscious. He looked around as he had lost track of Selphie and Squall. He trailed his quick glance downward as he saw the familiar girl in the yellow dress bent over something. He pushed his way through the fighting over and widened his eyes as he took in the sight, "Oh, Hyne…" he said. 

Selphie didn't look up. She stared at Squall's face for any indication that he would wake up at any moment. Or that she had simply imagined what happened.

"Selphie, let's get him to the Infirmary," Zell said quickly.

She shook her head and stared at Squall worriedly, "There's no way we can get through everyone..."

Seifer was nearby fighting and saw the three. "Whoa, that really sucks," he commented.

Selphie clenched her jaw. An extra pair of hands would definitely help them get to the infirmary quickly, no matter who was helping. "Seifer, shut your mouth and help us."

"And why should I?" Seifer asked with an arched eyebrow.

Selphie did not have time for this. "Because if you don't help me and something happens to Squall, I will take your gunblade and Squall's and shove them up your---"

Zell and Seifer's eyes widened. "Whoa! Alright…Fine," Seifer said quickly, not wanting to hear the rest of her sentence. He sheathed his gunblade and bent down, lifting up Squall's shoulders, while Zell picked up his feet.

"Be careful," Selphie said as she watched them.

The three carefully made their way towards the infirmary, avoiding as many encounters as they could. Selphie looked back and saw that they had left a trail of blood. She could now tell that Squall's wound was deep.

They carried Squall's body inside and set him on the first free bed. Selphie instantly returned to his side, watching the blood continue to pour out of the wound. Zell and Seifer went back out into the ongoing battle. Selphie wanted to help in the fight, but the life of the person she loved was in danger and that was more important to her.

Dr. Kadowaki rushed inside the room and cut off his shirt to examine the wound more closely, "Oh my…"

Selphie swallowed hard and her eyes grew as she looked at the doctor, "H-how bad is it?"

"It's bad," the doctor replied honestly. "He needs a blood transfusion quickly if we're even going to have a chance in saving him." She left the room and proceeded to prepare everything.

Selphie forgot about the wound in her side and on her cheek. Each began to sting. She wiped away the blood on her cheek. She couldn't help but feel guilty for what happened to him. If she hadn't stepped out of the way, she would be the one laying lifeless.

The doctor returned within a few minutes and began the blood transfusion. She handed Selphie a cloth and some medicine to apply to her wounds, but she refused to take them, "Just take care of him first. I'm fine. Worry about him now, okay?"

The doctor nodded and began cleaning out Squall's wound.

Selphie sat down and watched intently.

* * *

A few hours had passed. The fighting had ceased. There were only a few casualties, but the battle was a win for the SeeDs of Balamb Garden. Selphie had also finally allowed the doctor to tend to her own wounds. 

Zell walked into the Infirmary and took a seat next to Selphie, "Hey, Selph."

She looked over at him, "Oh…hi."

"How you doin'?"

"I have no idea, really," Selphie said.

Zell looked at Squall, who was still unconscious, "How's he doing?"

"He lost a lot of blood…but, she says none of his important stuff got punctured inside, so that's good. But the blood loss is bad…"

"How bad?" he said, looking back to Selphie.

Her voice wavered, "He…he might not wake up."

Quistis was outside the room and had heard everything. She let out a sad sigh as she walked into the room, looking at them, "I'm so sorry, Selphie." She bent down in front of her.

Selphie looked at her and nodded slowly. She felt her bottom lip trembling and wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, crying quietly, "I don't want him to die."

"I know," Quistis said and returned her hug.

"I can't lose him, Quisty. We finally sorted everything out and everything was going to get really good a-and I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose him," she said as tears continued to pour. She was sick of crying. It seemed like she had been crying more than smiling the past few days, and she absolutely hated it. Why couldn't things just work out? Why couldn't she be happy again?

Zell frowned as he looked on and offered a comforting hand on her shoulder, "He will, Selph. What happened to the annoyingly optimistic girl I knew? Squall's strong, you know, he'll wake up and come back to you."

Quistis nodded, "Yes, Selphie. He's right," she couldn't believe she had agreed with something Zell had said, but she shook the thought away, "You are both strong. He knows you are here for him and will find a way. Don't worry."

Selphie let go of Quistis and leaned back again, nodding to their comments, "I hope you're right…"

Zell smiled and nodded, "There you go. Don't lose that hope." He stood up and motioned to Quistis that they should leave. She nodded and followed him out of the room.

* * *

A few more hours passed and Squall still had not woken up. Selphie still sat in the uncomfortable chair, dozing off now and then. She finally let sleep take her as her tear ridden eyes would not stay open any longer. Dr. Kadowaki came by and draped a blanket over her and went back to work.

* * *

Rinoa had heard about the attack on Balamb and was curious to make sure everyone was all right, even if they had had a sore goodbye. She did not see any of her 'friends' while walking around during the early morning, so she headed to the Infirmary to see if anyone had gotten hurt. She poked her head into a couple rooms before seeing Squall laying unconscious on the bed. She stepped into the room carefully, her hand over her mouth in shock. She then looked over to see Selphie turned sideways in the chair, sleeping soundly. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, then leaned over the sleeping Squall. "Squall?" she whispered softly. She leaned down, planting a kiss on his forehead. 

Squall stirred slightly, quietly moaning in pain as he slowly began to regain consciousness.

Rinoa smiled and leaned down again, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Selphie…?" Squall called out as Rinoa pulled back, his eyes still closed.

Rinoa scowled, straightening up and crossing her arms, "No, it's not Selphie. She apparently doesn't care enough to stay awake."

Selphie heard Rinoa's voice and furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes fluttered open to see Rinoa standing over Squall's bed, "What are you doing here?" she asked, rather calmly, although her voice was full of confusion.

Squall's head was hurting too much to comprehend the different voices. He wasn't even sure where he was. The last thing he remembered was seeing Selphie move out of his view as he was punctured in the abdomen. Right, he was stabbed. Remembering that, he was conscious of that pain and winced quietly.

Selphie rubbed her eyes and quickly stood up, moving over in front of Rinoa to lean down over him, seeing that he was starting to wake up, "Oh, thank Hyne, you're okay," she said, letting out a breath of relief.

"No thanks to you," Rinoa said coldly.

Selphie turned her head and shot a glare at her, "Just go. I thought that was clear last time you were around." She was definitely not in the mood to deal with the ice queen, not now anyway. She just wanted to make sure Squall was okay.

"Selphie..?" he called out quietly again.

She felt tears brimming her eyes, but from happiness this time, "Yes, I-I'm here," she said a smile forming on her face.

"Well, this is just so cute," Rinoa said sarcastically, "I'm actually here when he wakes up, while you're sleeping, and he's more glad to see you. How perfect."

Selphie sighed, feeling exasperated by her presence already, "Rinoa, just get out of here. Squall doesn't like or love you anymore. I'm sorry you can't deal with that, but he loves me. He said so himself, so you can't try to deny that anymore. Y-you should just stay out of our lives and let us be happy. If you cared about him at all, you would be happy for him and want him to be happy."

Rinoa looked hard at Selphie, "I want him to be happy, but I want to be the one making him happy. You haven't been with him; I have. You don't know how to make him happy."

Selphie arched a slightly amused eyebrow, "Apparently you don't either. He left you, so I don't think you were making him all that happy."

Rinoa advanced on her, getting in between her and Squall. "You don't know anything about our relationship. So, you should just shut your mouth right now."

To Selphie, Rinoa appeared to be towering over her, although she was not much taller, "I just know what I saw and what he told me, okay? I'm not passing judgment on your relationship…You just…you had your turn and messed up, so let me have my chance with him. If I mess up, then fine, I don't care, try to win him back, but leave us alone for now."

"Hmph," Rinoa stated, "Maybe, but this is not over. It won't ever be." She moved forward, bumping into Selphie forcefully, knocking her back a few feet and into the wall, as she walked out of the room.

Selphie regained her balance before falling over and rolled her eyes. "Give it up," she mumbled under her breath. She shook her head, then came back to reality as she looked at Squall. She carefully kneeled beside his bed.

Squall tried to open his eyes, but they would budge only slightly. The soft, caring face of the girl he loved blurrily came into view. "Selphie…," he said, mostly to reassure himself that she was there.

She reached over, brushing his messy hair out of his face, "You're okay."

He winced softly as the pain from his wound shot throughout his body, "I…guess so."

She pressed her hand against his cheek, her thumb stroking it lightly, "I was so worried…we didn't know if you were going to wake up." She leaned down, kissing his other cheek gently.

"I…what happened, anyway..?" Squall was able to open his eyes a little more, the room and Selphie's adoring face coming in more clearly.

"Oh,…well," Selphie was almost embarrassed to tell. It was her fault he was injured, after all. "There was a soldier, who was about to stab me, a-and I guess I didn't know you were behind me, so I moved out of the way, and he got you, instead," she said, her mouth curling under into a frown.

"Oh…" Squall said, vaguely remembering.

"I'm so sorry, Squall. I-I would have taken the hit if I knew you were behind me," she said.

"You damn well better not even think that," he replied, his voice surprisingly stern, despite his current state. "I've seen you hurt once and it killed me... I couldn't go through that again. I would rather die before letting you get hurt again…"

She nodded slowly, "I know…but, seeing you like that killed me."

One side of Squall's mouth curved upward, "Then…I guess we can't be getting hurt anymore."

Selphie finally fully smiled and kissed his cheek softly again, "Good, it's a deal"  
Squall moved his fingers to make sure he still had feeling in his hand, then slowly reached his arm up to cup the side of Selphie's face. He noticed the cut across her cheek, "What happened there…?"

She had forgotten about it over night, "Oh, just one of the consequences from fighting. My arm is cut too, but definitely not as bad as you. So, don't even worry. I'm totally fine," she told him reassuringly.

"If you say so…" he told her, moving his hand to the back of her head. "Was Rinoa here…?"

Selphie made a face, "Yeah, she must have come in when I was sleeping."

Squall said, "I see…" He paused for a moment, "How long were you in here…?"

She thought for a moment, "All night, pretty much. The battle was yesterday, so…yeah, since last night." She smiled again, "I wanted to be here for you because you're always there for me."

Squall stroked her hair gently, "…You have no idea how much I love you." He pulled her head down closer to his, pressing his lips against hers softly.

Selphie smiled into the kiss and thought, 'Everything's going to be okay now.'

* * *

A few weeks later, Squall had fully recuperated and had been getting back to his normal routine as Commander. When he wasn't working, he was spending a lot of his time with Selphie. Although it had only been a few weeks, the two were getting along very well and having a blast together. The phrase "opposites attract" could definitely be applied to their relationship. Most people around them could tell that they had never been happier.

* * *

Selphie walked down the stairs into the Quad to see Squall sitting on a bench. She smiled to herself and walked over, sitting down next to him, "Heeey," she greeted him cheerily. 

Squall turned his head to look at her with a small smile, "Hey.." He found her hand beside his leg on the bench and took it into his own. Selphie curled her fingers around his hand, her smile widening. She leaned against him, her head resting against his shoulder. 'This is happiness,' she thought, letting out a dreamy sigh.

A couple walked across the Quad, a few feet away from the bench that Selphie and Squall were occupying. But, this couple happened to be Seifer and Rinoa. In the past week, the two had apparently bonded over each of their rejection, although it seemed as though the two were just using each other to make Selphie and Squall jealous, but no one knew for sure. Selphie and Squall, in particular, could care less. They were happy and that's all that mattered to them.

Rinoa stuck her nose in the air as the two passed Selphie and Squall, "Hmph."

Squall leaned his head down, kissing the top of Selphie's head lovingly, barely noticing them.

Seifer smirked, looking at them, "Aww, look at the two love birds, how adorable," he said sarcastically. He turned to look at Rinoa, then back to them, "I give them another two weeks at the most."

Selphie and Squall looked at one another and, in unison, smiled at each other, saying, "…Whatever."

**The End  
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Thanks for reading everyone and I appreciate all the reviews! I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but now the story is finally complete. I hope everyone enjoyed it as a whole and if I get any more ideas for this one, I may write a sequel. For now, though, this is the end. Anyway, look for more stories from me in the future! Thanks again, everyone! 

Much love and thanks,  
Your author,  
Stephanie


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